Four dead after a Tesla car fires in France

Four people died in western France late Saturday when a Tesla electric car caught fire for reasons that are still unclear, prosecutors said on Sunday.

The accident occurred outside the town of Niort and resulted in the death of the driver and three passengers who were employed at a restaurant in nearby Melle, according to a source close to police.

“An investigation has been launched to determine the causes and circumstances of the fatal accident, an investigation that will request expert reports on the vehicle,” a local judge told Agence France-Presse.

According to preliminary information, the vehicle hit several traffic signs at high speed.

The passengers on board were already dead when rescue workers arrived at the scene of the accident, police said.