At least eight people have been seriously injured after a French passenger train collided with a fallen tree uprooted during a hailstorm.
The regional TER train, carrying 219 passengers, crashed at Lunel, between Nimes and Montpellier in the south of France. Rail operator SNCF says the train was travelling at 87mph at the time.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"At least one helicopter was at the scene to carry the injured to a nearby hospital while others gathered on the train tracks," The Local reports.
A passenger from Luxembourg described the scene: "We were on the train when hailstones the size of ping-pong balls started falling, then we heard what sounded like an explosion.
"The train shook for a few seconds and then I saw some people whose heads were covered in blood."
According to the BBC, some travellers "initially thought the crash was the beginning of a terrorist attack, after the string of incidents across Europe in recent months".
Despite the collision, the train did not derail and SNCF officials say the line will re-open later today.
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
