Clue of second car followed up in Diana death inquiry

Police investigating the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, are searching for a Fiat Uno which may have collided with her Mercedes before the accident in Paris two weeks ago. The investigators also hope to have a first interview tomorrow with the only survivor, the bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who is recovering in a Paris hospital.

Investigators say they have found slivers of plastic which may have come from the tail-light of a Fiat Uno. Although this may be debris from an earlier collision, the pieces were discovered among fragments of glass from the headlights of the Mercedes which carried Diana's party. Both the glass and plastic pieces were found near where the Mercedes hit a pillar holding up an underpass in central Paris. A scratch on the front wing of the Mercedes also points to a possible glancing collision. Sources told Agence France-Presse they regard this as only a "slim" chance but every lead would be followed up.

The investigators are said to have excluded the possibility that the tiny, low-powered Fiat, if such a car were involved, belonged to photographers pursuing Diana and her companion, Dodi Fayed. Investigators believe the Mercedes, driven by Henri Paul, who also died, was travelling at 90 to 110mph. The assumption is that the Mercedes may have come upon another car going at a much slower speed (the limit is 30mph at that point) and that Paul was unable to swerve in time. Alternatively, the car may have joined the underpass from a slip-road which appears from the right just before the tunnel proper. The possibility that another car was passively involved in the accident has never been completely dismissed by investigators. This is one of the main areas of uncertainty which Paris police hope will be cleared up by Mr Rees-Jones.