TER derailment in Seine-Maritime: investigation opened, malicious act favoured
A Rouen-Caen TER train derailed after striking a piece of rail on the track, injuring 44 people. The Rouen prosecution has ruled out the terrorist attack theory but does not exclude a malicious act.
A 300-kilogramme rail piece found on the track, 44 injured and an investigation opened in Normandy
According to franceinfo.fr, investigators and railway experts spent Saturday 12 September analysing a piece of rail photographed in the middle of the track, the day after a TER derailed on the Rouen-Caen line in Seine-Maritime. This metal component is at the heart of the judicial inquiry opened by the Rouen prosecution.
The TER, travelling at full speed towards Caen, is said to have struck this fragment of steel laid across the track. Under the impact, the engine was thrown several metres before toppling on to the verge. The first carriages derailed and came to rest only several dozen metres further on. The accident resulted in 44 injured.
A 300-kilogramme rail whose origin remains unknown
The presence of this element on the track has raised questions among specialists. Hervé Morin, president of the Normandy region, clarified that the preceding train, which had passed over the same section an hour earlier, had reported nothing. "There was on the track, quite clearly, an iron bar which we believe to be a rail, extremely heavy, around 300 kilogrammes according to what the railway workers are saying," he stated.
Arnaud Aymé, transport expert at the SIA firm, highlights the uniqueness of the finding: "Rails do not come loose like that and do not overlap one another. Each metre of rail already weighs 50 kg." This statement reinforces the hypothesis of external intervention, without however establishing its nature.
The prosecution rules out a terrorist attack, malice remains under investigation
On the evening of 12 September, the prosecutor of the Republic for Rouen spoke to frame the state of investigations. At this stage, no evidence allows for mention of a terrorist attack, he stated. The prosecution nonetheless favours the hypothesis of a malicious act, whose precise causes will need to be identified by the investigation.
Investigators seized the train's black box in order to analyse the speed at which the train was travelling, the controls operated by the driver and the braking conditions. Further interviews were scheduled for the Sunday following the accident.
44 injured, six extended hospitalisations
The human toll stands at 44 injured. According to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, six people were still hospitalised in the hours following the accident. Witnesses reported scenes of panic on board: "People were starting to shout and cry," according to statements relayed by franceinfo.fr.
Rail traffic on this route was disrupted following the derailment, whilst teams carried out initial investigations and secured the area.
Source: Google News LU FR