- A TGV which linked Strasbourg to Paris derailed this Thursday at 7.45 am between Ingenheim and Saessolsheim shortly before Saverne (Bas-Rhin), about thirty kilometers from the Alsatian capital.
- The seriously injured train driver was helicoptered to Hautepierre hospital in Strasbourg. 21 injured were treated in relative emergency. An investigation was opened by the Strasbourg Public Prosecutor's Office.
- "We suffered a big shock, it was impressive," testified to 20 minutes one of the passengers of the damaged TGV.
We now know more about the accident that hit a TGV connecting Strasbourg to Paris, this Thursday morning. The train had left the Alsatian capital normally at 7.19 am when it was suddenly interrupted at 7.45 am by a major landslide between Ingenheim and Saessolsheim. The images published by the Bas-Rhin fire and rescue service (Sdis 67) and by the SNCF testify to the violence of the phenomenon.
Departure from a TGV line between #Strasbourg and Paris this morning at 7.45 am.
Following a very significant landslide, a #TGV ensuring the Colmar -Selestat - Strasbourg - Paris-Est link went out of its way.
Thread 1/6 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/33BR90xyDN
Train driver seriously injured
"The TGV remained standing despite the derailment," testifies to 20 Minutes Arnaud Schwartz, national secretary for France nature environment, who is one of the passengers on the train. The driver, seriously injured, was evacuated in absolute emergency by the Dragon 67 helicopter to the Strasbourg-Hautepierre hospital. He is said to be suffering from a chest cavity and a collarbone injury, 20 minutes learned from union sources. Twenty-one other passengers reportedly suffered minor injuries, some of whom would have to undergo additional examinations in hospital.
An investigation was opened by the Strasbourg prosecutor's office in the process, said the prefecture of Bas-Rhin in a statement. A hundred gendarmes were mobilized to secure the premises and make the first observations, supported by criminal identification technicians and a gendarmerie helicopter.
"We suffered a big shock, it was very impressive"
A medico-psychological emergency unit was deployed on the spot to take care of the cabin crew and passengers. "We suffered a big shock, it was very impressive," continues one of the passengers, Arnaud Schwartz, who was traveling to Paris for professional reasons. “The train suddenly leaned on the left side, it collapsed, we felt that we had hit a big obstacle. The railway ballasts flew and returned to the train windows. Uninjured passengers are currently being transported by bus to the Ingenheim multi-purpose hall.
They should then be taken back to Strasbourg to return to Paris in a new train, indicates the SNCF. In addition, train traffic was diverted in both directions, causing delays. The RD667 is cut to allow emergency intervention. The population is invited to avoid the area and give priority to emergency vehicles, specifies the prefecture of Bas-Rhin.
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