About 12 people have been killed and about 20 injured in a head-on train collision in north-east France, rail firm SNCF has said.
Up to 13 people have been killed and about 20 injured in a head-on train collision in north-east France, rail firm SNCF has said.
A passenger train collided with a goods train in Zoufftgen, near the border with Luxembourg.
A passenger train collided with a goods train in Zoufftgen, near the Luxembourg border, at about 1145 (0945 GMT).
The crash happened at about 1145 local time (0945 GMT) in the Moselle region.
An SNCF spokesman said the two trains had been sent onto the same section of track after engineering works had restricted traffic to a single track.
An SNCF spokesman said the two trains had been sent onto the same section of track after engineering works had restricted traffic to a single track.
The company said two train drivers had died, as well as "about 10" passengers.
"It is an apocalyptic vision," senior regional official Bernard Mertz said.
The passenger train, a double-decker regional express, had been travelling from Luxembourg to the city of Nancy.
The SNCF said two train drivers had died, as well as "about 10" passengers and a person working on the track.
Trapped
The full passenger train left Luxembourg at 1130 and was due to arrive in the city of Nancy at 1255.
The train company told reporters its train had received a green signal to switch onto the first track, as the second one was closed.
The number of passengers on board the double-decker regional express was not known, the SNCF said.
More than 100 rescue workers were at or heading to the crash site to set up a mobile hospital and treat victims, a local fire chief, Samuel Gesret, told French television.
More than 100 rescue workers were at or heading to the crash site to set up a mobile hospital and treat victims, a local fire chief, Samuel Gesret, told French television.
"We are faced with an important and dramatic situation," Eric Soupra, a local civil security official, told French radio.
"We are faced with an important and dramatic situation," Eric Soupra, a local civil security official, told French radio.
Some of the wounded were trapped in the wreckage and would have to be cut out, he said.
Some of the wounded were trapped in the wreckage and would have to be cut out, he said.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Transport Minister Dominique Perben are travelling to the scene, as well as investigators who will be looking into the cause of the crash.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Transport Minister Dominique Perben are travelling to the scene, as well as investigators who will be looking into the cause of the crash.
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