Hero holidaymaker, 65, stops tour bus plunging over a 300ft precipice

A 65-year-old French holidaymaker saved the lives of 23 people when he stopped his tour bus plunging over a 300-feet precipice in the Austrian Alps over the weekend.

The bus was carrying a French tour group through the spectacular mountain scenery of Tyrol when the 76-year-old driver fainted and collapsed into the aisle, sending the bus careening out of control towards the drop.

The 65-year-old passenger was sitting in the front row and had the presence of mind to seize the controls. He was just able to brake in time, although the front of the bus was left hanging over the precipice.

The passenger, who has not been named under local privacy laws, has been hailed as a hero and almost certainly saved the lives of all on board.

His presence of mind was “very lucky” for the other passengers, a police spokesman told the Salzburg 24 news website.

“They came within a hair’s breadth of disaster,” he said.

The driver and nine of the passengers were injured and had to be treated by paramedics at the scene.

The incident took place on the Zillertaler Höhenstrasse, a famous stretch of road some 6,600 feet above sea level, around 35 miles east of Innsbruck.

There were immediate calls for an age limit to be imposed on the drivers of tour buses in the wake of the near accident.

Under current Austria law, older drivers must renew their license every five years and prove they are still fit to drive.