Train derailment in Normandy: Police do not rule out sabotage
After an accident involving a regional train with 44 injuries near Cléon, the authorities are investigating the cause.
Quick Look
- After the derailment of a regional train between Rouen and Caen with 44 injuries, the public prosecutor's office is investigating possible sabotage.
- A piece of rail was found at the scene of the accident.
- The danger to the life of a previously critically injured woman has been averted.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A regional train carrying 186 passengers derailed between Rouen and Caen on Friday evening. 44 people were injured, one of them seriously.
After a train derailed in northern France, police are not ruling out sabotage as the cause. A piece of rail was found on the route, said the prosecutor of the city of Rouen, Sébastien Gallois. The reasons for this would have to be clarified as part of an investigation.
The regional train carrying 186 passengers was traveling in Normandy between the cities of Rouen and Caen on Friday evening when it derailed. 44 people were injured. Among them was an 18-year-old whose condition the authorities initially classified as “critical”. The public prosecutor's office has since stated that the woman's life is no longer in danger.
Large contingent of rescue workers
The regional train carrying 186 passengers was traveling between the cities of Rouen and Caen on Friday evening when it derailed near Cléon. Rescue workers arrived with dozens of vehicles. The fire department was on site with 130 emergency services.
According to television station BFMTV, it is suspected that the train collided with an object at around 7:30 p.m. As a result, five wagons jumped off the rails and one tipped over. According to the public prosecutor's office, the train driver has already been checked for drug and alcohol consumption; but the tests came back negative.
Train traffic is starting again
A passenger described the seconds before and after the accident to the TV station: At first it felt like an emergency stop, then the train was shaken because it was no longer traveling on the track but rumbling over gravel. “Our window burst, smoke rose and suitcases flew around,” the man reported. "Then we saw the other carriage rush past our window."
According to the authorities, the passengers who were not injured were initially accommodated in the rooms of the city administration of Cléon. According to Mayor Mélanie Delacour, those affected were “in a state of shock.”
Train traffic in the region restarted on Saturday after major disruptions occurred in the region, according to Deutsche Bahn. A replacement bus service has been set up in both directions on the route between Rouen and Caen.
Open Questions
- Was the rail piece intentionally placed?
- What are the results of the forensic investigation?