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French authorities activated a mass-casualty response plan after the derailment of a passenger train in Normandy on Friday evening. The prefect of Seine-Maritime, Jean-Benoit Albertini, told reporters that one of those injured was in a critical state and had been evacuated by helicopter. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot stated that the train was carrying 180 passengers when it went off the rails near the town of Cleon between Rouen and Caen.
A spokesperson for the French police said the train derailed after hitting an unidentified object. SNCF reported that an investigation to identify the cause of the accident was underway. One carriage overturned and four others derailed in the incident, according to local authorities.
Tabarot noted that 140 firefighters were at the scene to help the injured passengers. The prefecture of Seine-Maritime advised the public to avoid the area around the crash. Most of the injuries were described as non-life-threatening with the exception of the critically injured 18-year-old woman.
The French railway operator SNCF said the train service between Rouen and Caen and between Caen and Le Havre was suspended. Replacement bus services would be put in place to mitigate the impact on passengers. The operator reported significant disruptions across its routes in the region as crews worked through the night.
Passenger Ilario Imbert, 15, who was travelling in carriage 34, told the French newspaper Ouest-France that the event started with strong vibrations. “All of a sudden, we felt strong vibrations. The train lifted off the tracks,” Imbert said. He added that windows broke and the carriage in front of them derailed and rolled over while his own carriage remained on the tracks.
Reuters reported that the incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. local time, prompting a large emergency deployment. Similar accidents in the past, such as a 2013 derailment outside Paris that killed at least six people as The New York Times reported at the time, have led to thorough safety reviews by French transport officials. SNCF has said it will cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation into Friday’s derailment.
