Sabotage Suspected in French Train Derailment Causing 44 Injuries

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, investigators in France are considering sabotage as a potential cause for a passenger train derailment in the northwestern part of the country, which left 44 people injured. This information was reported by Agence France-Presse, citing insights from Mehr News Agency.

A police source told Agence France-Presse on Saturday that investigators are actively exploring the possibility of deliberate interference in the train derailment incident. The source indicated that a section of the track found at the accident site suggests intentional action is currently the leading theory under investigation.

The train, carrying 186 passengers, veered off the tracks on Friday evening around 7:45 PM local time while traveling between the cities of Rouen and Caen in the Normandy region.

Following the incident, French authorities activated their emergency response plan for high-casualty events, deploying 130 firefighters, five medical teams, and 80 vehicles to the scene.

Sébastien Gallois, the prosecutor of Rouen, stated that 44 individuals were injured. An 18-year-old woman is in critical condition and has been transferred to a hospital. Tests conducted on the train driver for drug and alcohol consumption returned negative results.

SNCF Réseau, the company responsible for managing France’s railway network, announced that train services on this route have been suspended. Power to the lines was also cut to facilitate rescue operations.