At least 44 injured in train derailment in Normandy

At least 44 people were injured when a regional train derailed in northern France on Friday. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot had previously spoken on the online service X of 20 injuries and described this as a “preliminary balance”. The train with 180 passengers on board was traveling in Normandy between the cities of Rouen and Caen in the Seine-Maritime department.

The French television station "BFMTV", citing the prefect, reported that an 18-year-old was in an acute, life-threatening condition and was taken to the Rouen University Hospital by helicopter. The remaining injured people are therefore in a less critical condition.

The cause of the accident is still unclear

The responsible prefect is on site to coordinate the rescue measures, wrote the transport minister. Together with him “and the SNCF teams, we are monitoring the situation closely,” added Tabarot, referring to the French railway company.

According to information, the accident occurred at around 7.45 p.m. between Tourville and Elbeuf-Saint-Aubin near the municipality of Cléon.

The priority is “first to look after travelers and then to restore transport operations,” the railway company SNCF Réseau told the AFP news agency.