A train derailment in northwest France that left 44 people injured, including one woman in critical condition, is being investigated as possible sabotage, authorities said.
Police found a piece of rail on the track, prompting investigators to focus on the possibility that the crash was deliberate, a police source said.
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The train, carrying 186 passengers, was travelling from Rouen to Caen when it came off the rails at about 7:45 pm (6.45pm Irish time) yesterday near Renault’s factory in the town of Cleon.
Emergency authorities launched a mass-casualty operation, sending 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles to the scene.
Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said 44 people were hurt, including an 18-year-old woman who was evacuated “in a critical condition”. Tests on the train driver for drugs and alcohol were negative.
Passenger Louis, 24, told ICI Normandie radio that the train began to shake without warning.
“Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger,” he said.
“I couldn’t stay in my seat any more. The windows partially shattered, the stones from the track came into the carriage. It was really shocking. I’m still shaking.”
Passengers who were not injured were taken to a room provided by Cleon’s mayor, authorities said.
‘Major disruptions’
SNCF Reseau, the operator responsible for France’s rail network, suspended services on the line and cut power to the tracks so emergency crews could work safely.
SNCF said the derailment caused “major disruptions” in both directions on routes linking Rouen with Caen and Caen with Le Havre.
A spokesperson for SNCF Reseau said this morning that services had restarted.
The Rouen-Caen route normally operates 10 return services each day and six at weekends. SNCF Voyageurs said replacement buses had been arranged.
The train will remain on the line until the public prosecutor authorises its removal, the spokesperson said, as investigators continue to establish what caused the derailment.
SNCF said it would provide “full cooperation in complete transparency” with the inquiry.
