[British Press Agency]

The accident: a timetable of Diana's final hours 
By PA Reporters

On the afternoon of Saturday 30th August Diana,
Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed arrived in Paris
after spending a week's holiday together in St
Tropez on the French Riviera. 

Later that evening the pair dined at the exclusive
Ritz Hotel, owned by the Fayed family. 

At around midnight, the couple left the hotel by
the rear entrance and climbed into the rear of a
waiting Mercedes. Photographers were waiting
outside the hotel to snap them as they left. 

Diana and Dodi, accompanied by a Fayed
bodyguard and driver, began their drive west on
the expressway alongside the Seine. They were
heading for a private townhouse in western Paris
where they intended to spend the night. 

Minutes later, the car entered a tunnel by the
River Seine, apparently pursued by paparazzi
photographers on motorcycles. 

The car went out of control and crashed, killing
Dodi Fayed and the driver instantly. 

Diana was trapped in the mangled car for more
than an hour before being lifted clear and taken to
Paris's Pitie Salpetriere Hospital. She was suffering
from massive chest injuries and bleeding. 

Soon after her arrival, she suffered a cardiac
arrest. 

The Royal Family, on holiday at Balmoral, were
soon informed of the crash. The British
ambassador in Paris, Sir Michael Jay, rushed to the
hospital immediately on being informed of the
accident by the French authorities. 

The bodyguard, the only survivor of the crash, was
eventually cut free from the wreckage and taken to
hospital. 

Shortly after 1am, surgeons began a desperate
two-hour battle to try to save Diana's life,
including opening her chest and giving her heart
massage by hand. 

Soon afterwards, Prime Minister Tony Blair was
awoken and informed of the accident. American
President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary were
also told by a military aide while they were
attending a party at a private residence on
Martha's Vineyard where they are on holiday. 

Buckingham Palace confirmed the Princess was
undergoing treatment for serious injuries, as
Mohammed Al Fayed flew by helicopter to Paris
after being told of the death of his 41-year-old
son. 

At around 3am, Diana was pronounced dead by
doctors in the hospital's emergency unit.