44 injured as passenger train derails in Northwestern France

A passenger train carrying nearly 200 people derailed in northwestern France on Friday evening, leaving 44 people injured, including a woman who sustained critical injuries.

The train was travelling between Rouen and Caen in Normandy when it derailed at about 7:45 p.m., according to local authorities.

Emergency services activated a mass-casualty response as rescue teams rushed to the scene to evacuate injured passengers and secure the area.

Rouen Prosecutor Sébastien Gallois confirmed that 44 passengers were injured in the incident. One woman was taken to hospital in critical condition, he said.

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Gallois also disclosed that tests conducted on the train driver returned negative results, although authorities did not immediately specify the substances for which the driver was tested.

France’s Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, confirmed the incident in a post on X.

Following the derailment, SNCF Réseau, the state-owned railway infrastructure operator, suspended services on the affected route and cut power to the tracks to facilitate rescue operations.

“The priority is to care for the passengers and then to restore safe operating conditions,” the rail operator said.

Police and railway authorities have launched investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the derailment and establish what caused the train to leave the tracks.