In brief
A passenger train derailed on a Friday evening near Cléon in northern France, leaving at least 44 injured, one critically wounded. The 180‑passenger train was heading from Rouen to Caen. Roughly 140 firefighters and emergency teams were deployed, and a mass‑casualty response plan was activated. The cause remains unknown; images show three carriages overturned. SNCF warned of significant disruptions and will provide bus replacements, while authorities urged the public to avoid the area.
At least 44 people, including one seriously injured, were hurt when a passenger train derailed in northern France on a Friday evening, the BBC reported.
An 18‑year‑old woman was airlifted in critical condition by helicopter to hospital after the derailment.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said 180 passengers were aboard the train running between Rouen and Caen in Normandy. He added that 140 firefighters and other emergency teams had been deployed to the scene near the commune of Cléon, just south of Rouen.
The cause of the derailment was not immediately known; local authorities activated a mass‑casualty response plan shortly before 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT).
Photographs later showed passengers escaping the collapsed train; French media reported that three carriages overturned.
France's state‑owned railway operator SNCF announced significant disruptions on its routes in the area and said replacement buses would be provided.
Authorities advised the public to avoid the area.
