Driver on the run after €11m theft

POLICE are trying to track down a security van driver suspected of making off with more than €10m in banknotes in broad daylight.

The incident, one of the biggest French bank robberies in recent years, happened yesterday during a routine delivery in Lyon by private contractor Loomis, which is responsible for transporting millions of euros of Banque de France money.

While two of the driver's employees made a routine stop in Lyon's seventh district, he suddenly drove off - with an estimated €11m in the back of the secure vehicle.

The van was found by police two hours later beside a railway line in the suburb of Vénissieux, but it was empty and the driver was nowhere to be seen.

Lyon public prosecutor Xavier Richaud said police had visited the man's home to find it empty. His bank account had been emptied several days earlier.

He said the man was single, with no close family, and had worked for Loomis for more than 10 years. The suspect's photograph has been sent to border police.

Photo:Jonas Roux