A passenger train traveling on the Rouen–Caen line derailed this evening near the municipalities of Cléon and Tourville-la-Rivière, in France.
According to a preliminary assessment reported by French media, at least 40 people have been injured, one of them in serious condition. There were about 180 passengers on the train, announced French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot. Immediately after the accident, numerous emergency forces and rescue teams were mobilized at the scene to help the passengers and the injured.
One of the passengers, 15-year-old Hilario Imper, described the dramatic moments of the accident to French media. He said he was in one of the train carriages when everything happened in a matter of seconds. “Suddenly I felt very strong vibrations. The train crashed and went off the tracks,” the 15-year-old said. Then, the situation worsened.
"The windows were broken. A wagon in front of us derailed and overturned. We passed it, while our wagon was still on the tracks," he confessed.
Following the accident, French railway company SNCF announced the suspension of rail services between Rouen and Caen, as well as the Caen–Le Havre line. The causes of the accident are not yet known. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances that led to the train derailment.
