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A regional train carrying 186 passengers from Rouen to Caen derailed around 7:45 p.m. local time on Friday near the town of Cléon in the Seine-Maritime department close to a Renault factory with one carriage overturning and four others leaving the tracks. The incident prompted activation of a mass-casualty plan that brought 130 firefighters five medical teams and 80 vehicles to the scene where an 18-year-old woman was airlifted in critical condition to Rouen University Hospital though her condition later improved. Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois reported that tests on the train driver returned negative for drugs and alcohol while emergency crews worked through the night and into Saturday morning.
Investigators discovered a fragment of rail on the tracks which a police source told AFP has made a malicious act the primary line of inquiry as they work to determine how the object came to be there. The Rouen prosecutor’s office has assigned the judicial police to the case and seized the train’s black box for analysis with technical operations continuing at the site. Gallois noted in a statement that the reasons for the rail piece’s presence remain unknown pending further examination by experts and multiple witness interviews.
SNCF Réseau which manages France’s rail infrastructure announced that traffic on the line was immediately suspended and power cut to the tracks to facilitate safe emergency operations with replacement bus services established by Saturday. The operator pledged full cooperation and transparency with the ongoing inquiry according to statements distributed to multiple outlets including Le Monde and CNN. Regional president Hervé Morin described the impact as consistent with a violent shock that could qualify as criminal in remarks reported by local media.
Passenger Louis a 24-year-old who spoke to local radio station ICI Normandie recounted how the journey shifted abruptly from minor jolts to intense shaking that hurled him from his seat and shattered windows allowing track stones to enter the carriage. His account aligns with descriptions from other travelers who reported the sudden violence of the derailment on a line that typically operates 10 return services daily. Al Jazeera compiled similar testimonies highlighting the shock that left many passengers still shaken hours later.
The event marks a rare instance of potential sabotage on France’s generally safe rail network which according to European Union Agency for Railways data has maintained low accident rates compared to European peers in recent years despite occasional disruptions from theft or protests. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot noted the incident on social media emphasizing priorities of passenger care and restoring safe operations. Prosecutors cautioned against premature conclusions even as the sabotage hypothesis gained prominence across reports from AFP CNN and Al Jazeera.
