Europe · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Passenger Train Derails Near Rouen, Injuring 44 People in Seine-Maritime
Forty-four injured, one in critical condition, after a TER train derailed between Rouen and Caen. Train carried about 186 passengers; derailment occurred near Cléon on the Rouen-Caen line.
15 outlets, one story, no spin found.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: drug and alcohol tests on the driver were negative.
15outlets compared
Al Jazeera highlights the driver’s drugs and alcohol test results, while other outlets foreground the unidentified-object cause.
Derailment in Normandy
A passenger train derailed in northwestern France on Friday, injuring 44 people, one critically, local authorities said, with French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot saying the train was carrying 186 passengers between the Normandy cities of Rouen and Caen.
“injuring 44 people, one critically”
The derailment occurred at about 7:45pm (17:45 GMT) as the train traveled on Friday, and the Seine-Maritime prefecture said a mass-casualty response plan was activated, deploying 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles to the scene.
Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said 44 people were injured, including an 18-year-old woman evacuated in “critical condition” to Rouen University Hospital.
Passenger Louis, 24, told ICI Normandie that “Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger.”
Response, injuries, investigation
French police and SNCF said the cause of the derailment was under investigation after the train derailed after hitting an unidentified object, according to a spokesperson for the French police.
The local authority, the prefecture of Seine-Maritime, advised the public to avoid the area, while SNCF said traffic on the line had been suspended and power to the tracks was cut to allow emergency services to operate.
NDTV and The News Pakistan both described the critical evacuation by helicopter, with NDTV citing the prefect Jean-Benoit Albertini and The News Pakistan citing the Seine-Maritime area near the town of Cléon.
SNCF Réseau said, “The priority is to care for the passengers and then to restore safe operating conditions,” as rail authorities and police continued investigating the cause of the derailment.
What happens next
French authorities said the investigation would determine the circumstances of the accident, with the BBC reporting that the cause of the derailment was not immediately known and that the local authorities activated a mass-casualty response plan shortly before 20:00 local time.
“The cause of the derailment was not immediately known”
The BBC said the train was operating between Rouen and Caen in Normandy with 180 passengers on board, and it reported that replacement buses would be provided after SNCF reported “significant disruptions” on its routes in the area.
Franceinfo reported that the Seine-Maritime prefect activated the departmental operational center at 8:00 p.m. and triggered the Orsec plan for many victims (Novi), adding that the prefecture recommended avoiding the area.
Franceinfo also quoted passenger Louis, 24, saying, “The windows partially exploded, rocks from the track entered the car,” as Rouen’s prosecutor’s office said an investigation had been opened to determine the causes of the serious injuries.