French 35-year-old farmer Alexandra Sonak and her 12-year-old daughter were killed and her husband was seriously injured in an accident involving a car that crashed into a straw barrier during a nationwide protest by French farmers. This was reported by UNN with reference to the BBC.
Details
The accident occurred on Tuesday near Toulouse during a large-scale farmers' protest. The prosecutor's office said that in the dark, the car accidentally ran over bales of straw and hit three people - the family of the deceased Alexandra Sonak. She raised cattle and grew corn on a farm near Toulouse. Alexandra died almost immediately, and her 12-year-old daughter later succumbed to her injuries in hospital. The farmer's husband, who is 40 years old, is in intensive care.
Three people in the car were detained. They were reportedly traveling from Toulouse to Andorra. An investigation has been launched into aggravated manslaughter, although local prosecutor Olivier Mouyse said the incident was not premeditated.
Oleksandra Sonak, who has two children, told a local radio station earlier this week that her family came out to protest to protect their profession.
Context
For several days now, farmers have been blocking key roads in the southwest, one of France's most important agricultural regions.
On Tuesday, farmers across France expanded their roadblocks after meeting with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to voice complaints about new environmental regulations and rising energy prices.
Last week, more than 400 tractors blocked the center of Toulouse, home to about 800,000 people. In recent days, several key highways in the southwest of the country have been completely blocked by farmers who have set up sleeping quarters in the middle of the highways.
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