French police believe a deliberate act of sabotage caused a train derailment in Normandy that left 44 people injured, one of them critically, prompting a large-scale emergency response. The train, carrying 186 passengers, came off the tracks near Cleon on Friday evening after striking a large section of rail lying on the line, with one carriage overturning completely and four others derailed by the force of impact.

Investigators found a rail fragment weighing between 250 and 300 kilograms at the scene, and prosecutor Sebastien Gallois said the reason for its presence remains under investigation. Regional president Herve Morin said the object could not have appeared naturally, since a train had passed only an hour earlier with no maintenance carried out in between, and described the likely scenario as criminal rather than merely malicious. An 18-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition but has since stabilised, while emergency services deployed 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles; the driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs, and local officials described passengers as being left in a state of shock.