A deadly train crash in northern France has left a veteran driver dead and dozens shaken after a high-speed train slammed into a military truck in a violent collision.
The crash happened Tuesday evening, April 7, in the town of Bully-les-Mines, as the train was traveling from Dunkirk to Paris with 243 people on board.
According to officials, the train was moving at around 160 km/h when it struck a truck carrying a massive military vehicle at a level crossing.
The impact was catastrophic.
Authorities say the 56-year-old train driver was killed instantly. He was later described as an experienced professional who had spent years behind the controls.
The force of the collision was so intense that the military vehicle—reportedly weighing several dozen tons—was thrown nearly 30 feet from the crossing before landing near a private garden.
Passengers inside the train were left shaken as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Two people were seriously injured, though officials say their lives are not believed to be in danger. At least 14 others suffered minor injuries in the aftermath.
More than 80 firefighters and dozens of police officers responded, surrounding the wreckage as investigators began piecing together what went wrong.
The driver of the truck has since been arrested and is being held on suspicion of manslaughter. Authorities are still working to determine whether he improperly entered the crossing or if other factors were involved.
Local officials noted that the situation could have been far worse if the train had been traveling at full speed.
Still, the tragedy adds to growing concerns about railway safety in France. Dozens of accidents involving trains and level crossings are reported each year, with several turning deadly.
And this isn’t an isolated incident.
Just weeks ago, another train crash involving a truck claimed the life of a driver in southeastern France. In a separate case last year, a high-speed train derailment left 11 people dead in one of the country’s worst rail disasters.