Around 20 injured after train derails in northwestern France

Around 20 people were injured on Friday evening after a passenger train derailed in the Seine-Maritime department of Normandy in northwestern France, according to an initial report by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The Seine-Maritime prefecture stated that the train, carrying approximately 200 passengers and operating a route between Rouen and Caen, derailed around 7:45 p.m. local time near the towns of Cleon and Tourville-la-Rivière.

The prefecture added that authorities activated the departmental operations center at 8 p.m. and declared the “Orsec Novy” emergency plan, designed to handle incidents resulting in a large number of casualties, while urging the public to avoid the accident site.

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For its part, the regional train network “Nomad,” operated by the French National Railway Company (SNCF), announced that train traffic was halted in both directions between Bretteville-sur-Odon and Tourville to carry out necessary safety checks, noting that disruptions to train services would continue until the end of operations.