In short
- A passenger train carrying 186 people derailed between the Normandy cities of Rouen and Caen in northwestern France on Friday evening.
- Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said 44 people were injured, including an 18-year-old woman who was evacuated in critical condition.
- Local authorities activated a mass-casualty response plan and deployed 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles to the scene.
- SNCF Reseau, which manages France’s rail network, suspended traffic on the line and cut power to the tracks so emergency services could operate.
- Gallois said drug and alcohol tests on the train driver came back negative; rail authorities and police are investigating the cause of the derailment.
A passenger train carrying 186 people derailed in northwestern France on Friday evening, injuring 44 people, one of them critically, French authorities said. The train was travelling between the Normandy cities of Rouen and Caen when it came off the tracks.
Where and when did the train derail?
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said on X that the train came off the tracks at about 7:45pm (17:45 GMT) on Friday, on the line between the Normandy cities of Rouen and Caen. Authorities said 186 passengers were on board.
How many people were injured?
Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said 44 people were injured. The most seriously hurt was an 18-year-old woman who was evacuated in “critical condition” and flown by helicopter to Rouen University Hospital, according to the prefecture of Seine-Maritime.
Was anyone killed?
French authorities have not reported any deaths. The derailment injured 44 people, one of whom was in critical condition.
How did emergency services respond?
Local authorities activated a mass-casualty response plan and deployed 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles to the scene. SNCF Reseau, which manages France’s rail network, said traffic on the line was 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. Emergency responses on a comparable scale have followed other transport disasters, including the ferry fire in the Philippines that killed 35 people and left more than 50 missing.
What did passengers describe?
“Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger,” passenger Louis, 24, told local radio ICI Normandie. He added: “I couldn’t stay in my seat any more. The windows partially shattered, the stones from the track came into the carriage. It was really shocking. I’m still shaking.”
What is known about the cause?
Gallois said tests for drugs and alcohol on the train driver had come back negative. Rail authorities and police are investigating the cause of the derailment.
What other mass-casualty incidents have been reported?
A Russian drone strike on a mall in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, killed five people and wounded 67, one of several incidents that have required large-scale emergency responses.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were injured in the Normandy train derailment?
Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said 44 people were injured. One of them, an 18-year-old woman, was evacuated in critical condition and taken by helicopter to Rouen University Hospital.
Where did the Rouen to Caen train derail?
The train derailed between the Normandy cities of Rouen and Caen in northwestern France at about 7:45pm local time (17:45 GMT) on Friday, according to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.
Was the train driver tested for drugs or alcohol?
Yes. Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said the driver’s drug and alcohol tests came back negative. Rail authorities and police are still investigating the cause of the derailment.
How many passengers were on the derailed train?
Authorities said 186 passengers were on board the train, which was travelling between Rouen and Caen.
With reporting from Al Jazeera.
Stock image, not from the events described. Baikal Railway, Khabartuy railway galleries, Russia — Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)