A train derailment in northwestern France has injured 44 people, with authorities suspecting sabotage as a possible cause. The incident occurred when a regional train carrying 186 passengers from Rouen to Caen derailed Friday evening at Cleon. One carriage tipped onto its side, while four others left the tracks.
An 18-year-old woman was among those injured and was evacuated by helicopter to Rouen University Hospital, according to local police reports. Investigators suspect that sabotage may have caused the derailment, especially after discovering a piece of rail on the track. A spokeswoman for the French national police communications service, SICOP, told The Associated Press the piece of rail was “probably” linked to the incident. She remained unnamed, adhering to police policy that restricts public identification without authorization.
Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois, referencing an Agence France-Presse report, mentioned that the reasons for the rail piece’s presence remain unclear and await determination in the investigation. Authorities are exploring whether the situation involved deliberate sabotage or was accidental.
Cleon Mayor Melanie Delacour described the victims as “in a state of shock,” noting that windows of the upright carriages shattered due to the train’s speed, causing stones to fly into the carriages.
France has experienced previous rail disasters, including a July 2013 derailment at Brétigny-sur-Orge, which resulted in seven fatalities. In November 2015, an Eckwersheim TGV train test derailment near Strasbourg claimed 11 lives. More recently, two high-speed trains collided in Adamuz, southern Spain in January, killing 46 people and injuring over 100, according to reports from the Andalusian regional government.