FRENCH cops suspect sabotage was the cause of a train derailment that left 44 people injured and one teen fighting for life.
The regional train was carrying 186 passengers when it ran off the tracks on Friday evening at Cléon, in Normandy.
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An 18-year-old woman was critically injured in the action and was airlifted to hospital.
In a bombshell announcement on Saturday, French authorities have revealed they are probing possible sabotage after a rogue piece of rail was found on the track.
President of the Normandy region, Hervé Morin, told the AFP: “The most likely scenario at this stage is that this was not simply a malicious act, but one that can be described as criminal.”
He said the section of rail did not “just end up on the tracks given that a train had passed an hour earlier and no maintenance work had been carried out in the meantime.”
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A spokeswoman for the French national police communications service, said the piece of rail was “probably” linked to the derailment, CNN reports.
The train was running between the Normandy cities of Rouen and Caen when it derailed around 7.45pm.
One carriage flipped onto its side while four others completely left the tracks.
Authorities activated a mass-casualty response plan, with 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles rushed in.
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Shattered windows and rocks from the track littered the carriage interior, shown in the stark footage.
Police suspect the incident was a deliberate malicious act, which is now the main line of inquiry in their investigation, LeMonde reports.
Rouen prosecutor Sébastien Gallois said: “The reasons for its presence are unknown and will have to be determined by the investigation.”
The wrecked train will only be lifted off the line once the public prosecutor allows it.
The SNCF – France’s state-owned national railway company – have said that it would offer “full cooperation in complete transparency” to the inquiry.
Cléon mayor Mélanie Delacour said the incident was a “tragedy that could have turned into a disaster on a very large scale.”
Louis, 24, who was onboard the train, told Ici he was still shaking after the ordeal.
He said: “All of a sudden there were several jerks.
“At first I thought it was normal, but after two or three seconds, they got stronger and stronger. I was shaken so much I couldn’t stay in my seat anymore, I tried to hold onto the seat in front.
“We started to derail, the windows partially shattered, especially at the front of the carriage.
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“Stones from the track flew everywhere in the carriage. There was broken glass everywhere.
“It was really quite shocking, I’m still shaking.”