Train derailment near Rouen: 44 injured, prosecutors rule out attack theory
A Rouen-Caen regional train derailed on Friday evening in Cléon, leaving 44 injured. The public prosecutor's office tempers political speculation about a possible attack.
Train derailment in Normandy: Rouen prosecutor calls for caution
A piece of rail found on the railway track is the probable cause of a regional train derailment that occurred on Friday at approximately 19:45 near Cléon (Seine-Maritime), according to the Rouen prosecutor's office. DHnet reports that the accident left 44 injured, including an 18-year-old woman who was seriously hurt.
"At this stage, no evidence allows us to speak of an act of 'malice' committed with the deliberate intention of derailing the train, and therefore even less of an 'attack'," said Rouen prosecutor Sébastien Gallois on Saturday evening.
Causes of the rail's presence remain unknown
The regional train was operating the Rouen-Caen route and was carrying 186 people when it derailed between Tourville and Elbeuf-Saint-Aubin stations. The causes of the piece of rail being on the track remain "unknown" for the time being, the prosecutor's office specified, and the investigation is continuing.
The 18-year-old woman, the main victim of the accident, is "still hospitalised, but fears for her life or serious disability are now ruled out," according to Gallois. On Saturday in the early afternoon, three other people were still hospitalised, without serious injury. The other injured were able to return home.
The train's black box has been seized. Forensic and scientific police operations were completed in the afternoon, and numerous additional interviews were scheduled for Sunday, the prosecutor indicated.
Political declarations causing controversy
Despite the prosecutor's caution, numerous speculations circulated on social networks and in the political sphere. Éric Ciotti, mayor of Nice and leader of the Union of the Right for the Republic (UDR), claimed that "the derailment of the regional train in Normandy is the result of an attack," demanding that the perpetrators be punished "with the utmost firmness."
The centrist president of the Normandy region, Hervé Morin, declared that "the most probable hypothesis at present is an act that can be described as criminal." He argued that the piece of rail, "estimated at between 250 and 300 kilograms," could not have found itself alone on the track, as a train had passed an hour earlier without incident and no works had taken place in the meantime. The maximum authorised speed on this section is 120 km/h.
A police source had told Agence France-Presse on Saturday morning that the lead of a malicious act was being prioritised. However, prosecutor Gallois clarified at the end of the day that investigations carried out since the morning "have not brought any new evidence" on the causes of the presence of this metal fragment.
Significant rescue resources mobilised
On Friday evening, 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles were deployed on site. Among the lightly injured, 26 were treated at four healthcare facilities in Rouen.
Source: DHnet