Regional train derails in France - possible sabotage

A regional train travelling through Normandy derailed on Friday evening, injuring 44 people, one seriously.

Investigators are examining whether a large piece of rail found on the track caused the accident, but authorities are urging caution over suggestions that it was deliberately placed there.

The train was travelling from Rouen to Caen, in north-west France, when it derailed between Tourville and Elbeuf-Saint-Aubin, near Cléon in Seine-Maritime, at around 19:45. It was carrying 186 passengers.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot initially said 44 people were injured, including an 18-year-old woman who was seriously hurt and taken to Rouen University Hospital. Her condition has since improved and she is no longer considered to be in danger.

By Sunday evening, two other victims remained in hospital, while the other injured passengers had been discharged.

Investigation into possible cause

An investigation is under way to establish what caused the derailment.

The Rouen public prosecutor's office said a piece of rail found on one of the tracks could have caused the accident. It weighs around 250 to 300kg.

The train driver reportedly saw the rail and activated emergency braking before the derailment.

Investigators are now trying to establish how the piece of rail came to be on the track. A possible deliberate act has been considered, but the authorities have stressed that there is currently no evidence that it was deliberately placed with the intention of causing the train to derail.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Sunday that no theory was currently being prioritised or ruled out.

Rouen prosecutor Sébastien Gallois said the investigation was continuing actively, with police carrying out further interviews with witnesses and passengers and making requests for telephone and video-surveillance data. A judicial expert has also examined the scene.

A separate technical investigation has been opened by the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis for Land Transport (BEA-TT), alongside the judicial investigation being conducted by Rouen judicial police.

The prosecutor said there was currently no evidence of an intentional act aimed at causing the derailment, and there was therefore no basis for describing the incident as a terrorist attack.

The presence of the rail remains unexplained. Reports have noted that another train had passed through the area about an hour earlier without encountering it, but investigators have not established how the object came to be on the track.

Rail services disrupted

Rail traffic remains suspended between Rouen and Elbeuf in both directions while the damaged train is removed and the investigation continues.

SNCF Nomad has announced an adapted timetable from Monday, September 14 to Friday, September 18. Trains continue to operate between Elbeuf and Caen, while passengers travelling between Rouen and Elbeuf are being directed to the local Astuce bus and metro network.

Preparatory work began at the scene on Sunday ahead of a complex operation to remove the derailed train, which is expected to take place during the week.