A regional train carrying 186 passengers derailed in northwestern France on Friday evening, leaving 44 people injured. An 18-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition, though officials said she is expected to survive. Investigators later found a metal object on the track.
Authorities suspect the derailment may not have been accidental.
44 injured after TRAIN DERAILS in northern France, SABOTAGE suspected — Le Parisien
The regional train derailed Friday evening near Cléon, sending an 18-year-old woman to the hospital by air ambulance in critical condition.
Police believe the train struck a piece of rail that may have been placed pic.twitter.com/eK41onp49D
— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) September 12, 2026
French investigators are now working to identify the object and determine why it was lying on the railway line.
A spokeswoman for France’s national police communications service, known as SICOP, told The Associated Press that the piece of rail discovered on the track was “probably” connected to the derailment. She spoke anonymously because police policy prohibits her from being publicly identified.
“The reasons for its presence are unknown and will have to be determined by the investigation,” Rouen prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said, according to Agence France-Presse.
European railways have long been targeted by saboteurs, anarchists and terrorists because the networks are vulnerable and even limited damage can cause widespread disruption. Terrorist groups have more commonly used explosives to cause mass casualties, as in the 2004 jihadist train bombings in Madrid that killed 193 people. Derailments, severed cables and other interference with rail operations, however, have often been intended to disrupt transportation and send a political message.
Still, the crash seriously injured passengers, including the 18-year-old woman who was airlifted to safety. If investigators conclude that sabotage was involved, those responsible would have caused far more than a temporary interruption to the rail schedule.
Investigators will determine whether the derailment resulted from an accident or a deliberate act. For those aboard, either possibility came after a deeply traumatic experience:
Cléon Mayor Melanie Delacour said the victims were “in a state of shock.”
“The windows of the carriages that remained upright shattered, and because of the train’s speed, stones flew into the carriages,” she told AFP.
🚨🇫🇷#BREAKING | NEWS ⚠️
Major train derailment in Southwest France injuring at least 40 people life flight helicopters can be seen hovering over the crash site. pic.twitter.com/YPS3ElUUFg— Todd Paron🇺🇸🇬🇷🎧👽 (@tparon) September 11, 2026
