World News

Actions

At Least 2 Dead After Train Derailment In France

At least two people are dead after a trained derailed in the French Alps Saturday. At least nine others have reportedly been injured.
Posted

At least two people are dead after a train derailed in the French Alps Saturday.

At least nine others have reportedly been injured. One of them is in critical condition. According to the BBC, the train collided with a massive boulder, which caused the derailment.

This aerial photo of the crash site circulating on multiple stories about the accident comes from French outlet Nice-Matin.

But it's not clear what ran into what. At least one mayor of a nearby town told local reporters the boulder went down the hill and hit the train, but The Telegraph reports the boulder might have already been there and the train ran into it.

Either way, French news outlet Europe1 tweeted a photo of the large boulder the train reportedly struck Saturday. Europe1 reports the boulder weighed about 10 tons. (Via Twitter / Europe1)

And the boulder left a devastating impact. Both of the train's cars went off the tracks — the front car partially went down the mountain, but the back is up on the hill and close to the tracks. (Via Europe1 / France Televisions)

RT notes it's not clear how many people were on the train when it derailed — most reports say somewhere between 20 and 35. It adds crews were working Saturday to rescue those still stuck inside.

RT adds Saturday's derailment is France's second fatal train accident in less than a year. Last July, six people were killed and 30 others injured in a separate crash — making that France's deadliest train derailment in the last quarter-century.