Overview
- The TGV that hit a stuck truck trailer between Béthune and Lens Tuesday has left the train driver dead and at least a dozen passengers injured, with two in critical condition.
- The high-speed service was carrying 243 people from Dunkirk to Paris, and more than 200 passengers were moved off the train to a nearby town after the impact.
- Rail traffic is suspended on the Béthune–Lens line, and power is cut on the Lille–Béthune, Lille–Lens, and Lille–Douai axes, with SNCF warning of severe disruption for the day.
- Rescue teams and technical crews arrived quickly, and the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said about 88 firefighters were deployed to treat the injured and secure the site.
- Authorities say the trailer of a military truck became stuck on the level crossing before the collision, a judicial source reported the truck driver was arrested, and investigators will examine crossing safety and military transport procedures.