44 injured in France train derailment

A train derailing in northwest France has injured 44 people, one seriously. The train was traveling between Rouen and Caen in Normandy on Friday. It derailed at around 7:45 pm local time.

According to Malay Mail and Free Malaysia Today, 186 passengers were on board. A mass-casualty response plan was activated, with 130 firefighters, five medical teams, and 80 vehicles deployed to the scene. One passenger, Louis, 24, described the moment of derailment to ICI Normandie radio, saying there were sudden jolts and the windows partially shattered.

Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois reported that an 18-year-old woman was evacuated in a critical condition. Tests for drugs and alcohol on the train driver had come back negative, according to Gallois. Traffic on the line has been suspended and power to the tracks cut to allow emergency services to operate, with SNCF Reseau prioritizing the care of passengers and restoration of safe operating conditions.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Malay Mail, Al Jazeera, Free Malaysia Today, New Straits Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.