Six killed as train derails in France

At least six people were killed and dozens were injured when a train derailed south of Paris, Xinhua reported Saturday.

The train, heading from Paris to the central city of Limoges, derailed and hit the platform at the Bretigny-sur-Orge station, about 25 km south of the capital city around 5.15 p.m..

The national rail operator SNCF said there were 370 people on board, and six carriages of the train derailed.

President Francois Hollande rushed to the scene and pledged to conduct three separate investigations into the cause of the accident -- one by police, one by the transport ministry and one by the SNCF.

"We should avoid unnecessary speculation, what happened will eventually be known and the proper conclusions will be drawn," Hollande said.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls said the death toll could rise.

This was the country's worst train accident since 1988, when a crash at Gare de Lyon station in Paris killed 56 people.