17 injured as two trains including high-speed TGV crash in south west France
- Collision was between a high-speed TGV and a regional commuter train
- Took place close to the town of Denguin on the northern edge of Pyrenees
- All injured are believed to have been on board the commuter train
- 17 people injured, three seriously with a baby airlifted to hospital
Two French trains have collided in south west France this evening leaving at least 17 people injured, three ‘extremely seriously’.
The horrific crash between a high-speed TGV and a TER regional commuter train took place close to the town of Denguin, 12 miles from Pau, on the northern edge of the Pyrenees.
There were some 178 people on the TGV, which was travelling from Paris to Tarbes, and the accident took place at 5.37pm.
The collision was between a regional commuter train and a TGV high speed train, similar to the one pictured (file picture)
The line is extremely popular with British holidaymakers and expats who have homes in the Pyrenees area.
One passenger on board told local French media: ‘The TGV slowed down and then it picked up speed. It was hit from behind by a TER which was on the same line.’
The injured were believed to be aboard the commuter train, and included a 10-month-old baby who was airlifted to hospital.
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The line was completely shut down and, by 8pm, dozens of firefighters and other emergency workers were at the scene.
It comes a year after the Bretigny rail crash, near Paris, in which seven people died and dozens more were injured.
The crash happened close to the town of Denguin, 12 miles from Pau, on the nothern edge of the Pyrenees in south west France
The 2013 crash highlighted the decaying state of France's rail network, with an official report blaming underinvestment and poor maintenance for the disaster.
In a report handed over to judges, inspectors said the Bretigny derailment was caused by a faulty fishplate - a bar that links two pieces of rail together.
Inspections in the area of the crash near the station of Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, also identified 100 defects.
These included joints that were loose or missing. Faults had been known for up to about eight months prior to the accident but nothing was done about them.
Prosecutor Eric Lallement said the main cause of the accident was a ‘shortfall in the quality of maintenance’.
Hundreds of thousands of British people use the French railway network every year, with the high speed Eurostar link between Paris and London making connections extremely straightforward.
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