Train derails in northwest France, 44 injured

A train carrying 186 passengers derailed in northwest France on Friday, injuring 44 people, one of them seriously, officials said.

The train was running between the Normandy cities of Rouen and Caen, transport minister Philippe Tabarot said on X.

It derailed around 7.45 pm, local authorities said in a statement, and a mass-casualty response plan had been activated, with 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles deployed.

“Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger,” one of the passengers, Louis, 24, told ICI Normandie radio.

“I couldn’t stay in my seat any more,” he said. “The windows partially shattered, the stones from the track came into the carriage. It was really shocking. I’m still shaking.”

Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said 44 people were injured including an 18-year-old woman evacuated “in a critical condition”, while tests for drugs and alcohol on the train driver had come back negative.

SNCF Reseau, which controls the French rail network, told AFP that traffic on the line has been suspended and power to the tracks cut to allow emergency services to operate.

“The priority is to care for the passengers and then to restore safe operating conditions,” SNCF Reseau said.

Rail authorities and the police are investigating the causes of the accident.