They investigate a possible deliberate act in the derailment of a train in Normandy that left 44 injured

A deliberate act could be behind the derailment that occurred on Friday night of a TER near Rouen, in Normandy, which left 44 people injured, including a young woman who had to be evacuated in a "state of extreme seriousness."

The hypothesis of a deliberate act is the main line of investigation after a fragment of rail was found on the track where the accident occurred, according to a police source reported this Saturday morning.

The derailment took place around 7:45 p.m. between the Tourville and Elbeuf-Saint-Aubin stations, near the municipality of Cléon, in the Seine-Maritime department, south of Rouen. The convoy, made up of two compositions, transported 186 people.

A large emergency team responded to the scene, with 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles. On Saturday morning, an AFP photographer was able to observe numerous SNCF workers working around the train, located in a wooded area near the Renault factory in Cléon.

An 18-year-old passenger was evacuated by helicopter in an "extremely serious condition" to the Rouen University Hospital, while 43 other people were treated for less serious injuries, according to Rouen prosecutor Sébastien Gallois.

The Rouen Judicial Police have taken charge of the investigation, the prosecutor said. The passengers who were unharmed were taken to a room set up by the Cléon City Council, according to the prefecture.

The driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs.

The alcohol and drug tests carried out on the train driver all gave negative results, the prosecutor said.

Several passengers recounted the violence of the accident. "Suddenly the shaking started and, after three seconds, it got stronger and stronger," one of them, Louis, 24, told ICI Normandie. "I could no longer stay in my seat (...) The windows partially exploded and the stones from the track entered the car," he said. "It was really shocking, I'm still shaking."

After learning of the accident, the prefect of the Seine-Maritime department activated the Orsec plan for situations with numerous victims and traveled to the scene.

Rail traffic affected

The derailment caused "strong disruptions" in rail traffic between Rouen and Caen and between Caen and Le Havre, in both directions, according to the SNCF.

Traffic, which was initially largely interrupted in the area around the accident site, including the Paris-Rouen and Rouen-Amiens lines, was restored on Saturday morning, according to a SNCF Réseau spokesperson.

On the Rouen-Caen line, which normally has ten daily return services and six at the weekend, SNCF Voyageurs launched a bus service to replace the trains.

The SNCF Réseau teams working in the area will have to wait for the prosecutor to authorize access to the site in order to inspect it and organize the work to remove the train, with no specific deadline for this at the moment.

The national railway company expressed "all its solidarity with the injured travelers and their loved ones, as well as with all the SNCF personnel mobilized at the scene and who are working to help passengers in this situation."

The SNCF also assured that it will collaborate with the investigation "with complete transparency."