A regional train carrying 186 passengers derailed on Friday evening in Cleon, between the cities of Rouen and Caen in Normandy, northwest France. The accident left 44 people injured, including an 18-year-old woman who was evacuated in critical condition.
The incident sparked a significant emergency response, with 130 firefighters and five medical teams dispatched to the scene.
French authorities are investigating whether the derailment was the result of sabotage. While some early reports indicated no sign that the incident was deliberate, police later discovered a fragment of rail on the track. Investigators say the train came off the tracks after striking an unidentified object, and a malicious act is now being treated as the main line of inquiry.