Train Crash Overshadows Bastille Day in France

World | July 14, 2013, Sunday // 08:33
Bulgaria: Train Crash Overshadows Bastille Day in France Six people were killed when a train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, at 17:14 (15:14 GMT) on Friday. Photo by EPA/BGNES

France is about to mark Bastille Day as investigations continue into the country's worst rail disaster for 25 years.

Six people were killed when a train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, at 17:14 (15:14 GMT) on Friday.

Those killed were four men and two women, aged between 19 and 82. Thirty people were injured, eight seriously.

SNCF said 385 passengers were on board when the train crashed and the station platforms were crowded.

The French train operator SNCF says the crash may have been caused by a fault on the tracks.

The French president is expected to call for solidarity in a traditional Bastille Day broadcast on Sunday.

Francois Hollande will give a series of television interviews as workers continue to inspect the wreckage.

A large crane arrived at the site on Saturday evening to lift away the remains of carriages, and to find out whether there are still bodies lying beneath.

French media are reporting that it could still take a number of days to clear the derailed cars.

Transport routes were particularly busy at the time of the crash, as France began a long weekend for Bastille Day.

The 14 July celebrations, marking the start of the French Revolution in 1789, traditionally include an annual military parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

A minute's silence was held across France's train network at noon on Saturday to commemorate the victims of the accident.

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Tags: train, crash, Bastille Day, Paris, France

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