10 dead as French high-speed train derails during test run
A high-speed train lies in a canal after derailing in Eckwersheim near Strasbourg, northeastern France, on November 14, 2015 (AFP Photo/Frederick Florin)Ten people were killed after a French high-speed train derailed during a test run on Saturday, local officials said, announcing a rise in the death toll.
The train accident happened "because of excessive speed" at Eckwersheim in eastern France as technicians were on board for testing, said a top local official Dominique-Nicolas Jane.
However, police said the cause of the crash had not been determined. A source close to the investigation said dozens of technicians were aboard.
The accident is the worst since the French TGV trains went into service in 1981.
A total of 49 technicians, but no paying passengers, were onboard when the accident happened during testing on one of the next generation of TGV high-speed trains due to go into service in Spring 2016, the local prefecture said.
The train ended up near a bridge in the water of a roughly 40-metre (130-foot) wide canal.
A police dive team, helicopters and tens of rescue vehicles were sent to the scene in response to the crash.
The initial toll was put at "at least five dead".
SOURCE: AFP
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