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| Paris train crash caused by faulty tracks, says rail company | Paris train crash caused by faulty tracks, says rail company |
| (2 months later) | |
| Faulty tracks may have caused the highspeed train crash in France which left at least six people dead, the state rail company has said. | Faulty tracks may have caused the highspeed train crash in France which left at least six people dead, the state rail company has said. |
| More than a hundred people were injured when the intercity train derailed and crashed into a station 20km south of Paris. | More than a hundred people were injured when the intercity train derailed and crashed into a station 20km south of Paris. |
| Railway company SNCF said initial findings suggested that a piece of metal connecting two rails had become detached. | Railway company SNCF said initial findings suggested that a piece of metal connecting two rails had become detached. |
| SNCF official Pierre Izard said: "It moved into the centre of the switch and in this position it prevented the normal passage of the train's wheels and it may have caused the derailment." | SNCF official Pierre Izard said: "It moved into the centre of the switch and in this position it prevented the normal passage of the train's wheels and it may have caused the derailment." |
| A minute's of silence was held at noon on Saturday in memory of those killed in the accident. | A minute's of silence was held at noon on Saturday in memory of those killed in the accident. |
| Earlier, French transport minister Frederic Cuvillier had said human error was not to blame. He told RTL radio: "Fortunately, the driver of the locomotive had absolutely extraordinary reflexes in that he sounded the alarm immediately, preventing a collision with another train coming in the opposite direction and which would have hit the derailing carriages within seconds." | Earlier, French transport minister Frederic Cuvillier had said human error was not to blame. He told RTL radio: "Fortunately, the driver of the locomotive had absolutely extraordinary reflexes in that he sounded the alarm immediately, preventing a collision with another train coming in the opposite direction and which would have hit the derailing carriages within seconds." |
| The train, travelling from Paris to Limoges at 85mph, was carrying 385 passengers when it crashed at 5.15pm on Friday at Brétigny-sur-Orge in Essonne. | The train, travelling from Paris to Limoges at 85mph, was carrying 385 passengers when it crashed at 5.15pm on Friday at Brétigny-sur-Orge in Essonne. |
| Four of the train's seven carriages ploughed into a crowded platform at rush hour on one of the busiest days of the year for holiday getaways. | Four of the train's seven carriages ploughed into a crowded platform at rush hour on one of the busiest days of the year for holiday getaways. |
| Security services have been working on the wreckage where passengers are believed to be trapped in mangled carriages, which were lying on their side. | Security services have been working on the wreckage where passengers are believed to be trapped in mangled carriages, which were lying on their side. |
| The French president François Hollande, visiting the scene, said six people were killed and 22 were seriously injured, including one who was in a critical condition. The prefect's office in Essonne said a total of 180 people were injured. Hollande said three inquiries had been launched into what caused the derailment. | The French president François Hollande, visiting the scene, said six people were killed and 22 were seriously injured, including one who was in a critical condition. The prefect's office in Essonne said a total of 180 people were injured. Hollande said three inquiries had been launched into what caused the derailment. |
| At the scene, Guillaume Pepy, head of SNCF, in tears in front of the TV cameras, talked of a "rail catastrophe". | At the scene, Guillaume Pepy, head of SNCF, in tears in front of the TV cameras, talked of a "rail catastrophe". |
| "The SNCF considers itself responsible," he said later. "It is responsible for the lives of its clients." | "The SNCF considers itself responsible," he said later. "It is responsible for the lives of its clients." |
| The mayor of Brétigny, Bernard Decaux, told Le Parisien: "Three carriages were tangled up one behind the other", with a fourth lying on its side. He added: "Everyone was running in all directions. It was panic. It was an apocalyptic sight." | The mayor of Brétigny, Bernard Decaux, told Le Parisien: "Three carriages were tangled up one behind the other", with a fourth lying on its side. He added: "Everyone was running in all directions. It was panic. It was an apocalyptic sight." |
| Hospitals in Paris have been on emergency alert to treat serious injuries, including from electrocution. As hundreds of emergency staff worked on the wreckage, the cause of the derailment has not yet become fully clear. | Hospitals in Paris have been on emergency alert to treat serious injuries, including from electrocution. As hundreds of emergency staff worked on the wreckage, the cause of the derailment has not yet become fully clear. |
| El Mehdi Bazgua, 19, who saw the derailment from the window of a different RERC local suburban train, told Le Parisien website: "I heard a massive noise and saw a cloud of sand that covered everything. I saw stones and wires on the ground. Then the dust lifted … We saw the first injured. I saw a man with an open head wound. Lots of people were cut. Lots of train passengers were blocked under the train." | El Mehdi Bazgua, 19, who saw the derailment from the window of a different RERC local suburban train, told Le Parisien website: "I heard a massive noise and saw a cloud of sand that covered everything. I saw stones and wires on the ground. Then the dust lifted … We saw the first injured. I saw a man with an open head wound. Lots of people were cut. Lots of train passengers were blocked under the train." |
| Michael Lesaunier, the owner of a cafe beside the busy suburban station told iTele: "The train approached very, very fast, knocking out everything in its path. It was rush hour, the platform was full." | Michael Lesaunier, the owner of a cafe beside the busy suburban station told iTele: "The train approached very, very fast, knocking out everything in its path. It was rush hour, the platform was full." |
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