A high-speed train derailed Saturday in the eastern French town of Eckwescheim near the German border, killing at least seven people and injuring at least 10 others.
Technicians were testing the new Paris-Strasbourg line for its early 2016 opening when the train derailed, caught on fire and ran into the Marne au Rhin canal, according to the Inquisitr. The train was carrying 49 people, all technicians or workers for the train company at the time of the derailment.
TGV trein ontspoort bij #Eckwersheim #Frankrijk pic.twitter.com/4CLNd0xbdG
— Buddendorff (@buddendorf) November 14, 2015
Seven were reported to have been killed, with emergency responders using five helicopters to rush victims to local hospitals and also a dive team to aide in the canal rescue. The section where the derailment occurred is set to be open in April 2016, the New York Daily News reported.
Nombreux blessés pris en charge par pompiers et samu pic.twitter.com/SKiF5mZ71Y — Aurélien Poivret (@AurelienPoivret) November 14, 2015
The high-speed train was believed to be traveling too fast and skipped the tracks, authorities said, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
French President Francois Hollande's office released a statement, saying that the train was not running on a line used by commercial trains. The statement also claimed that 10 people were gravely injured during the derailment.
Sous le pont. #déraillement pic.twitter.com/k3VGNk0mgw
— Aurélien Poivret (@AurelienPoivret) November 14, 2015
