France Train Derailment Leaves 44 Injured... Authorities Suspect Sabotage

A passenger train has derailed in France, injuring 44 people.

Authorities suspect sabotage and are investigating the cause of the accident.

AFP reported that at around 7:45 p.m. local time on the 11th, a regional express train (TER) traveling from Rouen to Caen in northwestern France went off the tracks near Cléon in the Seine-Maritime department.

One carriage tilted onto its side, and four others derailed.

Among the 186 people on board, 44 were injured, and an 18-year-old woman was reportedly in critical condition.

Investigators are considering the possibility that the derailment was intentionally caused, as a piece of rail estimated to weigh between 250 and 300 kilograms was found on the track.

Prosecutor Sébastien Gallois stated, "An investigation must determine why that rail fragment was there."

Hervé Morin, president of the Regional Council of Normandy, asserted, "Considering that a train passed an hour prior and there was no maintenance work in between, it is impossible that it simply ended up on the track. At this stage, the scenario that this could be an act considered a crime rather than simple malice is the most likely."

He noted that the maximum speed on the accident section is 120 km/h.

A passenger named Louis (24) told France Bleu Normandie, "Suddenly the train shook, and about three seconds later the impact became stronger. I am still shaking."

Cléon Mayor Mélanie Delacour said, "Even the carriages that did not leave the tracks had their windows shattered, and rocks flew inside due to the speed," adding that it could have led to a major catastrophe.

In November of last year, explosive devices and iron clamps believed to be intended to cause a derailment were found on a railway connecting Warsaw and eastern Lublin in Poland.

The explosives detonated while a freight train was passing, but the impact was minor and caused no significant damage.

Authorities determined that the operation was carried out by two Ukrainians recruited by Russian intelligence agencies.

In France, in July 2013, a train entering the station in Brétigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, derailed and crashed into a platform, killing seven people.

The cause of the accident was investigated as poor maintenance.

In November 2015, a TGV high-speed train undergoing test operations near Strasbourg derailed due to speeding, resulting in 11 deaths.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.