Train Derails in Normandy; at Least 44 Hurt
Train Derails in Normandy; at Least 44 Hurt
The News
A passenger train derailed in northern France on Friday evening, injuring at least 44 people and triggering a mass-casualty emergency response near the town of Cléon, just south of Rouen.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said 180 passengers were aboard the train, which was running between Rouen and Caen in Normandy.
An 18-year-old woman was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in critical condition, the BBC reported. Local officials said one of the injured was seriously hurt.
The cause of the derailment was not immediately known.
The Numbers
180 passengers aboard. 140 firefighters and other emergency teams deployed to the scene. Three carriages overturned, according to French media cited by the BBC. At least 44 injured, local officials said, after the transport minister's earlier count of about 20.
Timeline
The train derails near Cléon, in Normandy, on the Rouen-to-Caen route, according to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.
Local authorities activate a mass-casualty response plan, the BBC reported. Tabarot said 140 firefighters and other emergency teams were being deployed.
Tabarot says on X that around 20 people were injured, stressing that the figure was a "provisional count." Rail network operator SNCF Réseau suspends traffic on the line, and authorities urge the public to avoid the area.
Local officials put the number of injured at at least 44, including one person seriously hurt. An 18-year-old woman is airlifted in critical condition.
Reactions
"The priority is to care for the passengers and then to restore safe operating conditions," SNCF Réseau said.
Tabarot, who announced the crash and the casualty figures on X, cautioned that the toll was provisional.
State-owned railway operator SNCF reported "significant disruptions" on its routes in the area and said replacement buses would be provided. Local authorities advised the public to stay away from the crash site.
What's Next
The cause of the accident is under investigation. French officials have not said what they suspect brought the train off the rails.
The injury count could still change — the minister described the early tally as provisional.
SNCF Réseau said restoring safe operating conditions on the suspended line is its priority once passengers are cared for. Replacement buses are running in the meantime.
More
Cléon sits just south of Rouen, the largest city in Normandy. The Rouen–Caen line is a regional route linking two of the region's main cities.
Photographs that emerged after the crash showed passengers leaving the train, and French media reported that three carriages overturned.
Early accounts varied. Reuters, Sky News and Deutsche Welle reported around 20 injured, the figure given by Tabarot; the BBC later cited local officials saying at least 44 were hurt. The Sun reported the train was carrying 200 passengers, while the transport minister said 180.
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