# A piece of rail on the track, and 44 hurt

> A train left Rouen for Caen and ended up on its side, and prosecutors now suspect someone put it there.
- Title: A piece of rail on the track, and 44 hurt · BBC News
- Summary: A train left Rouen for Caen and ended up on its side, and prosecutors now suspect someone put it there. Investigators have not confirmed sabotage, but the…
- Keywords: france, rail safety, derailment, normandy, investigation, news, world, piece, rail, track, hurt, BBC News
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c33kp533nn6o
- Published: 2026-09-12T14:13:57.661+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: france, rail safety, derailment, normandy, investigation, news, world
## A derailment under suspicion
Officials in northern France are looking into whether Friday evening's passenger train derailment was caused deliberately.
## A rail on the track
Prosecutor Sébastien Gallois said the leading theory is that a piece of rail was sitting on one of the tracks. How it got there is unknown.

> The reason for its presence is unknown
## 186 on board, 44 hurt
Local media put 186 passengers on the Rouen to Caen service. Forty-four were treated, and an 18-year-old woman was airlifted in a critical condition.
## Jolts, then glass
Passenger Louis told ICI Normandie the shaking built over about three seconds until he could not stay in his seat.

> The windows partially shattered, the stones from the track came into the carriage.
## Black box seized
Investigators have taken the train's data recorder, lined up interviews and called in a court-appointed expert. The driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol.
## The critical patient stabilises
Gallois said the main victim remains in hospital but is no longer in danger. The others have been discharged or are close to it.

> her life is no longer in danger
## Key takeaway

Investigators have not confirmed sabotage, but the working theory is that a piece of rail was lying on the track and nobody knows how it got there.