French train crash

[John Ashworth]

Truck driver killed in French train crash
19/12/2007 - 09:07:54

A French high-speed train collided with a truck today, killing the lorry driver and causing minor injuries to a dozen rail passengers.

The truck and train collided in the town of Tossiat, in the Ain region of eastern France, the local prefecture said.

The circumstances of the accident were not immediately clear.

Rescue workers were on the scene.

A dozen train passengers had light injuries, the prefecture said.

The high-speed TGV train was travelling from Paris to Geneva in Switzerland.

© BreakingNews.ie 2007 )Ireland On-Line)


NZer injured in French train crash
Thursday, 20 December 2007

A New Zealander was amongst 35 passengers injured after a French high speed train hit a lorry at a level crossing, killing the vehicle's driver, officials said.

The accident happened near the village of Tossiat, in eastern France and near the Swiss border, a spokesman for the local government said.

"Thirty-five people who were lightly injured – French nationals and one person from New Zealand – have been treated by the emergency services," he said.

The locomotive of the high speed TGV train, which was travelling from Paris to Geneva, was derailed but its carriages stayed on the tracks, state railways SNCF said.

An SNCF spokesman said the lorry was transporting an industrial concrete mixer and had come to a stop on the crossing for reasons yet to be determined.

French radio interviewed a passenger who said the lorry had been dragged down the tracks and broken apart.

"We were lucky that the train wasn't travelling at its top speed," the passenger added.

The local government's office said earlier the train's driver had been seriously injured but it said later medical checks had showed he had only suffered minor injuries.

The SNCF said traffic in the area would be disrupted for around 48 hours.

From stuff.co.nz