A technical investigation has been launched into the derailment of a regional train near Rouen that left 44 people injured, as authorities work to establish how a piece of rail came to be lying on the track.
Issued on: 14/09/2026 - 06:41
2 min Reading time
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said on Sunday that the Bureau of Enquiries into Land Transport Accidents, known as the BEA-TT, would examine the circumstances surrounding the derailment alongside the judicial investigation already under way. “In addition to the judicial inquiry, a technical inquiry by the Bureau of Enquiries into Land Transport Accidents has been launched” to “determine precisely the circumstances” of the accident, Tabarot wrote on social media platform X. The BEA-TT, which was established in 2004, operates independently and investigates potentially serious accidents or incidents involving land transport. Its inquiries are intended to establish the circumstances of an accident, identify its certain or probable causes and make safety recommendations aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future. The organisation can take up cases on its own initiative when it considers that a technical investigation is warranted. Its director told reporters on Saturday that its primary objective was to issue recommendations rather than determine criminal responsibility.
