The train derailed near Cleon in Normandy at around 7.45pm on Friday.
A passenger train carrying about 180 people derailed in France.(Image: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
At least 44 people were injured after a passenger train carrying about 180 people derailed in northern France, authorities have confirmed.
The train derailed near Cleon in Normandy at around 7.45pm on September 11, with one carriage overturning and four carriages derailing, the Express reported.
Local reports have since indicated the death toll may be higher, with an 18-year-old woman said to be in critical condition and 43 passengers suffering minor injuries. Large-scale emergency measures were taken after the incident, with French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot saying 140 firefighters were sent to the scene.
A regional TER train traveling between Rouen and Caen derailed between Tourville and Elboeuf-Saint-Aubin, near the commune of Cleon in the Seine-Maritime. Mr Tabarot said: “At the moment the preliminary report shows about twenty people injured. 140 firefighters are stationed at the scene to treat the injured and passengers.
“Together with the prefect, who is heading to the scene and coordinating the mobilization of emergency services, and the SNCF teams, we are closely monitoring the situation.”
The prefecture of Normandy and Seine-Maritime estimated there were about 200 passengers on board, compared with a figure of 180 given by the transport minister. It said: “A passenger train traveling on the Rouen-Caen route derailed this evening, Friday 11 September, at around 19:45, near the municipalities of Cleon and Tourville-la-Rivière.
“There were about 200 passengers on board.”
The Prefect of the Seine-Maritime activated the department’s operations center at 20:00, just 15 minutes after the crash, and launched the ORSEC NOVI contingency plan for incidents with multiple casualties.
The prefecture urged members of the public to stay away from the area, adding: “Please avoid this area. Updates on the situation will be provided regularly.”
Questions are now being raised about what caused the train to derail.
A police source told French broadcaster BFMTV that the regional train crashed into an unidentified object before the crash.
However, the cause of the crash has not yet been officially confirmed.
One woman quoted by local media described broken windows after the impact, and passengers were reportedly injured by shattered glass and objects on board the train.
Following the crash, rail traffic on the Rouen-Caen line was completely stopped in both directions.
According to local reports, serious disruptions were also observed on the Paris-Rouen-Le Havre and Rouen-Amiens routes.
Emergency work is continuing at the scene, and the prosecutor’s office has already launched an investigation to establish the cause of the incident.