Authorities are investigating a train derailment in northwestern France that occurred after a piece of rail was discovered on the track, raising suspicions of sabotage. This incident injured 44 people. The regional train was transporting 186 passengers from Rouen to Caen when it derailed on Friday evening in Cleon. One carriage tipped onto its side, and four others came off the tracks.
An 18-year-old woman was among those injured and required evacuation by helicopter to Rouen University Hospital, according to police. Investigators believe the derailment was possibly the result of sabotage.
According to a representative from the French national police communications service, SICOP, the rail piece found on the track is “probably” connected to the incident. She spoke to The Associated Press anonymously, adhering to police policy of not publicly naming officials.
“The reasons for its presence are unknown and will have to be determined by the investigation,” said Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois, as reported by Agence France-Presse. Investigators are examining whether the circumstances were accidental or involved sabotage, maintaining caution on concluding the cause.
Cleon Mayor Melanie Delacour mentioned that victims were “in a state of shock” following the event. “The windows of the carriages that stayed upright shattered, and due to the train’s speed, stones flew into the carriages,” she informed AFP.
Previous rail disasters in France include the July 2013 derailment at Brétigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, which resulted in seven fatalities. In November 2015, a high-speed TGV train conducting tests derailed at Eckwersheim, near Strasbourg, killing 11 people. More recently, a crash involving two high-speed trains in Adamuz, southern Spain, killed 46 and injured over 100 as reported by the Andalusian regional government.
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