British woman attending vintage car rally dies in crash near Tours

A 77-year old British woman has died, and her husband has been left seriously injured, after an accident at the Chinon classic car rally on Saturday (June 22) 

The incident happened around midday near Orches (Vienne) when two cars collided at high speed.

The unnamed woman’s husband – an 82-year old UK national – was participating in the rally. The other car was not part of the rally.

Brake marks were found on the road near the scene of the accident, and one of the vehicles involved was destroyed. The Mazda MX-5, driven by the British man, was registered to a UK address.

The couple were rushed to hospital after emergency services arrived. The 77-year old woman had already suffered a severe heart attack before arriving at the hospital, and was pronounced dead on Saturday evening. 

Her husband remains in a life-threatening condition, despite an operation on Saturday to his lungs and chest. 

The two people in the other vehicle were also injured but are not reported to be in a life-threatening condition.

Their vehicle - an Audi A3 – was discovered flipped on its roof on the roadside by emergency services – you can see a photo on local media outlet La Nouvelle République. 

Couple were frequent visitors 

The unnamed British couple were said to be frequent attendees of the Chinon rally, which sees classic car owners drive around the French countryside.

“[The couple] are regulars at our event. They've been coming to our rally every year for the last four or five years,” said president of the rally Michel Loraille. 

Around a third of all participants at the rally are British, he added.