Foul play suspected after regional train derails in France

A regional train travelling through Normandy derailed on Friday evening, with emergency services responding to the accident, which took place near Cléon in Seine-Maritime.

The train was travelling from Rouen to Caen, in north-west France, when it derailed between Tourville and Elbeuf-Saint-Aubin at around 19:45. It was carrying around 180 passengers.

“44 people were injured, including a young woman who was seriously hurt and hospitalised at Rouen University Hospital. Her life is not in danger,” Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said in a post on X.

He added that 26 people with minor injuries had been treated at four hospitals in Rouen. Of these, 21 had been able to return home during the night, while five remained under medical care.

In his first statement on Friday evening, Mr Tabarot said that 140 firefighters were at the scene assisting passengers and the injured.

Investigation into possible deliberate act

An investigation is now under way to establish what caused the derailment.

The Rouen public prosecutor's office said “the main working hypothesis was that a piece of rail was present on one of the tracks, which could have caused the derailment,” reports Franceinfo. A section of rail was indeed found at the scene.

Investigators are examining how it came to be there. The possibility that it was deliberately placed on the track is among the lines of inquiry, although it is not yet confirmed.

Mr Tabarot has said that a deliberate act is one of the possibilities being actively investigated, alongside other explanations, reports Franceinfo.

At the moment, rail services between Rouen and Elbeuf have been suspended in both directions while investigations at the scene continue.