A major pileup occurred on the road between La Roche-sur-Yon Les Sables d’Olonne. In a first assessment, the prefecture said that the accident which occurred on this motorway has five dead and six seriously injured. Several vehicles and buses were requisitioned for the transfer of non-injured victims to a community hall.
The accident occurred on the motorway between Les Sables d’Olonne and La Roche-sur-Yon, near to Sainte-Flaive-des-Loups. The fog could be the cause of the accident. Forty vehicles are involved.
“Priority is given to the evacuation of the people involved,” said the prosecutor, on site. “The pileup involved forty vehicles including lorries. There are many people in absolute emergency “, said the Vendée fire press officer. “There are also minor injuries” , he added.
The road is closed to traffic to allow aid to go there. “Over twenty ambulances were dispatched on site. A medical post was set and road rescue vehicles (VSR) were sent to extricate the passengers in their vehicles ” , according to firefighters.
Several vehicles and buses were requisitioned by the authorities to transfer the victims of the accident, not injured to a nearby community hall.
On the motorway, several kilometers of traffic jams were formed in both directions.
The Interior Ministry said that the plane NOVI (short for “many victims”) is triggered and the County Operations Center is activated.
Accident de la circulation en #Vendée : le @PrefetVendee a déclenché le plan NOVI et activé le COD (Centre Opérationnel Départemental) ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ckB5R7hAtH
— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) December 20, 2016
In France, the Orsec-Novi map plan or simply Novi, formerly Red plan is an emergency plan to rescue a large number of victims in one place and organize the means of first aid against this concentration victims.
The term “Novi” is short for “numerous victims” ; also known as “status with multiple victims” (SMV). This is a variation of Orsec plan.
