French/Nat Two journalists from the French weekly magazine L'Express have released a book which investigates the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and her companion Dodi Al-Fayed. The book details the events leading up to the crash last August and includes accounts by eyewitnesses as well as police and emergency services involved in the aftermath. It includes evidence which suggests the paparazzi were not responsible for the crash and defends the ambulance service who had been criticised for their role. Eight months after the fatal accident, the memory of Diana is still alive in Paris. And it's not only judge Herve Stephan and his investigators who are still looking to answer questions surrounding the tragedy. Two French journalists, known for their investigative reports with the weekly magazine L'Express, have published their own research in a new book. It seeks to piece together the events leading up to the accident. SOUNDBITE: (French) "We realized at one point that we had a comprehensive view of the story and that we had evidences from all protagonists of the drama - photographers, eye-witnesses, policemen, doctors. At one point we felt that we were able, modestly, to reconstruct the chronology of what had happened, that means reconstructing Diana's planning from her arrival at 3pm at Le Bourget airport to the accident, then to her death at 4am." SUPER CAPTION: Jean-Marie Pontaut, author Intense speculation followed the accident and many pointed the blame at photographers or "paparazzi." But the new book says this was clearly a mistake. SOUNDBITE: (French) "On their way (behind the Mercedes), the photographers who were accompanying the car didn't take photos at any point. There's no photo (in their cameras which are held by investigators). So when one says that the car was hampered by the photographers, it's false - clearly false. Then, It's true that the paparazzi are the first ones on site, that Rat (Romuald Rat) opened the door, that photos were taken inside the tunnel and around the open car. That's reality. These elements can be charges against or for the paparazzi. That's not our problem. We are not supposed to judge the paparazzi." SUPER CAPTION: Jean-Marie Pontaut, author The main lawyer of both photographers involved in the investigation refused to comment on the book or whether any legal action was needed. The authors also investigated the efficiency of the emergency services in the crucial minutes after the accident. SOUNDBITE: (French) "In Anglo-saxon countries, (in case of an emergency), they are used to have people who are not doctors but rather nursing staff who intervene immediately to take people as soon as the hospital where they are then treated. The French system - which also used in a number of countries - consists on in having doctors on site." SUPER CAPTION: Jean-Marie Pontaut, author The ambulance carrying Diana was forced to drive slowly because of her critical condition and heavy bleeding. SOUNDBITE: (French) "The ambulance was forced to be driven very slightly and slowly, at 40 kilometres per hour, in order to avoid being too violently shaky. Despite of that, the ambulance was forced to be stopped during 5 minutes on the Austerlitz bridge in the middle of the night because Princess Diana was suffering a blood pressure fall and they were forced to act urgently. So finally, it's about 2am when the ambulance arrives at La Pitie-Salpetriere hospital." SUPER CAPTION: Jerome Dupuis, author The death of Diana, Princess of Wales and her companion Dodi Al-Fayed continues to attract interest around the world. The Alma bridge has become a morbid tourist attraction for admirers of the late Princess. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/8b959b424a306fe16aec1cee62219891 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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