Man jammed in toilet stops TGV

Passenger who tried to retreive mobile phone falls victim to powerful suction plumbling.

A MAN trapped his hand in the u-bend of a TGV toilet.

Firefighters cut him free after his arm became lodged in the u-bend after he tried to retrieve his mobile phone.

"He came out on a stretcher, with his hand still jammed in the toilet bowl, which they had to saw clean off," said witness Benoit Gigou.

The train was travelling from La Rochelle to Bordeaux on Sunday.

The service was delayed for two hours after the 26-year-old victim, hunting for his lost telephone, fell prey to the powerful suction system which drains the loos on board, the rail network's regional office said.

Photo:Sebastian Terfloth