Three teenagers lost their lives after the car they were in plunged into a swimming pool, with the driver suspected of being under the influence of laughing gas.
The crash happened Thursday morning in Ales, a subprefecture in southern France. Reports say the Peugeot 207 veered off the road, smashed through a wall and ended up submerged in a private pool that was barely larger than the car itself.
When firefighters removed the vehicle, officials discovered several nitrous oxide, aka “laughing gas” canisters inside.
Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas typically sold in small metal cartridges.
It’s often inhaled from a balloon and was first used in the food industry, but it has become increasingly common among recreational users in recent years.
Ales public prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said the car’s position left the teens with no physical way to get the doors open because the pool was too narrow.
The 19-year-old owned the car and it was properly insured, though investigators have not yet confirmed whether he was the one behind the wheel.
Grini added that authorities are seeing a growing number of drivers being arrested after using nitrous oxide.
Christophe Rivenq, the mayor of Ales, told local media that the road itself isn’t considered dangerous and has a 30 kmph speed limit.
He said issues only arise when drivers exceed that speed. He also expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, saying the teens’ lives should never have ended so young.
An official inquiry has been opened to determine the cause of death, and investigators are working to piece together the events leading up to the crash.
Initial examinations suggest the two people in the front seats were not wearing seat belts. A complete medical assessment will be needed to confirm whether the driver had taken nitrous oxide.
According to the prosecutor, some of the nitrous canisters found in the car were unused while others were empty.
Alcohol, cannabis and a small quantity of an unidentified drug referred to as “crash” were also recovered from the vehicle.
Local media reported that all three teens had previous run-ins with police for dealing drugs.
The 15-year-old was even taken into custody last weekend in connection with a drug-trafficking case.
In fact, following a string of fatal overdoses and traffic incidents linked to nitrous oxide, the UK reclassified it as a Class C drug in 2023.
