Passenger train derails in France leaving at least 44 injured

At least 44 people have been injured after a passenger train derailed in northern France, with one passenger reportedly in serious condition, local authorities have confirmed.

An 18-year-old woman was airlifted to hospital in critical condition following the incident.

France’s Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, said about 180 passengers were travelling on the train, which was operating on the Rouen-Caen route in Normandy.

He said some 140 firefighters, along with other emergency responders, had been mobilised to the scene near Cléon, south of Rouen, after the derailment on Friday evening.

The cause of the accident has not yet been established.

Local authorities activated a mass-casualty emergency plan shortly before 8:00pm local time (6:00pm GMT) as rescue operations got underway.

Images from the scene showed passengers being evacuated from the damaged train, while French media reported that three carriages had overturned.

France’s state-owned railway operator, SNCF, said the incident had caused significant disruption to services in the region and announced that replacement buses would be made available to passengers.

Authorities have also urged members of the public to stay away from the area as emergency operations continue.