Twelve people have been killed in a head-on collision between a lorry and a minibus in central France.

The victims were all Portuguese passengers of the minibus, which was travelling from Switzerland to Portugal, officials say.

The driver of the minibus and the two Italian drivers of the lorry survived, they add.

The collision took place just before midnight near the village of Montbeugny, in the Allier department.

Emergency services closed the road after the accident and a nearby village hall was used as a temporary mortuary.

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