AP —
French authorities are investigating whether a train derailment in Normandy that injured 44 people was caused by sabotage after pieces of rail were found on the tracks, police told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The regional train from Rouen to Caen was carrying 186 passengers when it derailed in Creon, Seine-Maritime department, northwestern France, on Friday night.
Police said the injured, including an 18-year-old woman, were taken by helicopter to Rouen University Hospital.
A spokesperson for France’s national police communications agency, known as SICOP, said the pieces of rail found on the tracks were “probably” related to the derailment. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not allowed to publish her name in accordance with police policy.
Investigators are working to establish whether the situation was a coincidence or sabotage was involved, the department said. Police said prosecutors remained cautious about reaching a conclusion.
Previous rail accidents in France include a derailment in Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, in July 2013 that killed seven people.
In November 2015, a high-speed TGV train derailed during testing in Eckversheim, near Strasbourg, killing 11 people.
More recently, in January, two high-speed trains collided in Adams, southern Spain, killing 46 people and injuring more than 100, according to the Andalusian regional government.
