Clear-up continues after train crash
Rescuers examine the wreckage of one of the trains near Zoufftgen station
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Wednesday, 11, Oct 2006 10:24
Investigators and rescue workers are continuing to sift through the wreckage of a train crash on the France-Luxembourg border that killed at least five people.
Initial reports had suggested that as many as 13 people may have died after a freight train and passenger train collided head-on near Zoufftgen station in the Moselle region of north-east France.
But later investigations revealed that that number may have been exaggerated, although five people have been confirmed as dead.
The drivers of both trains were among those killed, French railways operator SNCF confirmed in a statement, while 16 people were also injured in the crash.
Five of the wounded are said to have sustained serious injuries while 11 have been released from hospital.
The passenger train was travelling between Luxembourg and Nancy when it collided with the freight train at about 11:45 local time (10:45 BST) yesterday, just 15 minutes after the commuter train started its journey.
It is not known what caused the accident but it is understood that engineering works were occurring at the time of the accident and one of two lines near the station was closed.
A SNCF spokesperson said that an internal investigation has begun into the circumstances of the collision. The French transport ministry is also investigating the crash
Both lines will be shut for at least two days to allow the clean-up operation to continue, the spokesperson added, although no more survivors are expected to be pulled from the wreckage.
"If we pull out any more people, they will not be alive," Luxembourg police spokeswoman Kristine Schmidt said yesterday.
It is feared that there could be as many as three more bodies in the wreckage.