France: investigations for sabotage after a train derailment

The French police are favoring sabotage in last night's serious train accident, when a train with 180 passengers - between Caen and Rouen, in the north - derailed. There are 44 injured, one woman is in serious condition. 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles responded to the field.

The investigations

Police sources explained to AFP that a possible malicious act is therefore being investigated. The hypothesis of a premeditated act to cause the accident had emerged immediately after the accident. Since yesterday evening, a photo of a long piece of track sectioned and placed between the rails has been making the rounds on social media. The piece of metal would have been placed on the tracks and would have derailed the train. According to the reconstructions, which the police now consider more credible, the accident occurred around 7.45 pm, when the train, which was traveling at 140 km per hour, hit a metal object that was on the tracks. At that moment, the convoy was between Tourville and Elbeuf-Saint-Aubin, near the municipality of Cléon.