Paris – Eight people were badly injured when an intercity train traveling at 140 km per hour (85 mph) hit a fallen tree near the southern French city of Montpellier on Wednesday, according to SNCF, the state rail company.
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The train was traveling at the usual speed for the stretch of track near the village of Saint-Aunes, a SNCF spokesman said.
“Emergency services took care of the hurt. One person in a critical condition was evacuated by helicopter,” a statement by the local authority said.
Paramedics treated 50 other passengers at the scene for minor injuries and shock, said a local emergency services spokesman who earlier put the toll of badly hurt at 13.
The tree fell across the tracks after a heavy hail storm. Photos on social media showed the crumpled front of the train as well as the inside of a carriage strewn with debris. Reuters could not independently verify the images.
About 200 passengers were aboard the train when the accident occurred around 3:45 p.m. (1345 GMT).
Another day and another IRANIC example of a country that deported Yidden on trains during the Shoah having train troubles themselves.