Hollande promises to identify cause of French bus crash

The investigation over the cause of the fatal bus crash in southwestern France which left 43 victims dead "will be conducted to the very end," French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday.

"Everything will be done notably to analyze the blaze's reasons and that all conclusions can be drawn, all standards can be corrected, all the regulations may eventually be changed," Hollande added.

Accompanied by Prime Minister Manuel Valls and several government officials, the French leader visited Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps village where the victims hailed from.

"In a nation when compatriots are themselves the victims, we must collectively mourn. That is how we recognize the strength of a country which never abandons its members in their misfortune," he said.

Last Friday, a bus and a truck loaded with wood collided in Puisseguin in southwest France, which set both vehicles on fire.

At least 43 people, mostly of them seniors, were killed in the road accident, France's worst traffic accident in decades.

Identifying the victims could take weeks, according to local reports. Endit