The fatal crash occurred at about 7 a.m. in Nœux-les-Mines, a town in the Pas-de-Calais region, approximately 50 miles east of Calais, according to French media reports, according to Mirror UK.
tragic rail accident has claimed the life of a train driver and left at least 30 people injured after a high-speed TGV train collided with a military truck at a level crossing in northern France on Tuesday morning.
The fatal crash occurred at about 7 a.m. in Nœux-les-Mines, a town in the Pas-de-Calais region, approximately 50 miles east of Calais, according to French media reports, according to Mirror UK.
The train, travelling on the Dunkirk–Paris route, reportedly slammed into the trailer of a truck transporting military equipment.
Preliminary reports from police sources confirmed that the train driver died in the collision, while at least 30 passengers sustained injuries of varying severity.
Among the injured, two persons are said to be in critical condition, while 11 others suffered less serious wounds, according to reports by French newspaper Le Monde.
Authorities had initially provided conflicting casualty figures, with earlier estimates placing the number of injured at between 27 and 30.
Rail operator SNCF disclosed that about 243 passengers were on board the train at the time of the crash, which occurred between the towns of Béthune and Lens.
The impact reportedly caused the train to derail after striking the truck’s trailer, which had become stuck on the level crossing.
Emergency response teams, including 77 firefighters from Bully-les-Mines and nearby communities, were swiftly deployed to the scene to carry out rescue operations and provide medical assistance to victims.
The mayor of Mazingarbe, where the derailment reportedly occurred, confirmed the scale of the casualties after visiting the crash site.
“There are at least 30 injured,” the mayor reportedly said after he went to the scene this morning, franceinfo.fr reports.
French authorities revealed that the truck involved in the accident was carrying an oversized load of military equipment.
While the driver of the truck survived the crash, he was reportedly left seriously wounded.
In the aftermath of the incident, rail services on the busy Béthune–Arras line were immediately suspended in both directions, with SNCF warning that disruptions would persist until the end of the day.
Buses have been deployed to evacuate stranded passengers from the crash site.
Images from the scene showed extensive damage to the driver’s cabin of the TGV train, with emergency personnel working amid the wreckage between Béthune and Lens.
Reacting to the tragedy, Fabien Villedieu, Federal Secretary of SUD Rail, mourned the deceased train operator.
“Following an accident at a level crossing between a TGV and a truck in the HDF region, the train driver has passed away. All our thoughts are with our colleague who died on the job,” he was quoted as saying.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot also confirmed the incident and announced plans to visit the crash site alongside the President-Director General of SNCF, Jean Castex.
“An accident involving a heavy goods vehicle and a TGV occurred this morning between Béthune and Lens.
“I am heading to the scene with the President-Director General of SNCF, Jean Castex,” Tabarot said.
However, authorities have yet to provide a full account of how the truck became immobilised on the crossing.
The incident has once again raised concerns about the safety of level crossings across France’s extensive rail network, particularly those intersecting with routes used by heavy-duty and military transport vehicles.
Nœux-les-Mines, a town of about 11,000 residents in the Hauts-de-France region, was thrown into emergency response mode as rescue teams battled to assist victims and clear the wreckage.
