A devastating collision between a French high-speed train and a military equipment truck at a northern France level crossing has left the train engineer dead and 16 passengers and crew injured, local authorities confirmed Tuesday. The crash took place in the town of Bully-les-Mines, along the busy passenger rail corridor connecting the coastal city of Dunkirk to the French capital Paris.
Emergency response teams were dispatched immediately to the accident site after the collision was reported. Regional administration officials confirmed that among the 16 injured, two people are in critical condition. All more than 200 passengers on board the train were safely evacuated from the scene with no additional fatalities reported.
An on-site photographer from the Associated Press documented extensive damage to both vehicles: the front facade of the high-speed locomotive was heavily crumpled in the impact, while the truck also suffered catastrophic destruction. The rail line was fully closed to all traffic while emergency response and investigation teams worked through the site, leaving the stranded train resting on the tracks.
Prosecutor Etienne Thieffry announced that authorities have taken the truck driver into custody and launched an aggravated manslaughter investigation into the incident. As of Tuesday, Thieffry noted that it remains too early to draw definitive conclusions on the root cause of the crash.
Jean Castex, CEO of France’s state-owned national railway operator SNCF, told reporters that preliminary checks confirmed the level crossing’s barrier system was operating normally at the time of the collision, ruling out an immediate mechanical failure of the crossing infrastructure as the cause of the accident.