FRANCE: Aerial shots of a train crash in northeastern France give the extent of the damages

A double-decker passenger train from luxembourg collided head-on with a goods train in Zoufftgen, North eastern France on Wednesday (october 11), killing at least five people but leaving fewer dead than had been first thought. Rail officials said the trains were travelling on the same stretch of track because of maintenance work on an adjoining line, and slammed into each other in a wooded area near the Luxembourg border. The force of the collision sent some freight trucks climbing up above the passenger train, hurling carriages out over the trackside in a giant 'v' and pushing other freight wagons down the opposite embankment. Initial reports indicated as many as 13 people had died in the crash, but French transport minister Dominique Perben said the actual number of dead appeared to be lower, adding that fewer people were travelling on the train than first believed. French television said three bodies were still trapped in the twisted metal of the passenger train, but work to release them had been suspended because the wreckage had become too unstable for emergency staff to work safely. Officials said at least two people were in a serious condition in hospital. The passenger train consisted of just three carriages and was heading from luxembourg to the french city of nancy. Seconds after crossing into France, at around 11.45 a.M. (0945 gmt), it slammed into the goods train, which had 22 wagons and was making its way to luxembourg. France is highly proud of its rail network and Wednesday's crash appeared to be the worst train disaster in france since at least november 2002, when fire swept through a sleeper car on a paris-vienna express train, killing 12 people. The SNCF and French judicial authorities have opened separate crash investigations. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker both visited the scene.

ITN Source | October 12, 2006

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