French TGV locomotive derails on Strasbourg-Paris line, driver hurt

A high-speed TGV train locomotive derailed early Thursday while travelling from the eastern city of Strasbourg to Paris, injuring the driver, the national rail operator SNCF said.

"The TGV locomotive went off the tracks," an SNCF spokeswoman said. She did not indicate if others on the train were hurt or confirm news reports that several wagons also left the tracks.

Rescue workers were at the site of the accident near Vendenheim, around 15 kilometres (9 miles) north of Strasbourg, the SNCF and local authorities said.

Alexandre Sergeant, a passenger on the train, told BFM television by telephone that the train left Strasbourg on time at 7:19 am (0619 GMT), and the accident occurred around 20 minutes later.

"All of a sudden we felt an impact, and then the train was on the gravel, it kept rolling for a while and then started to lean on its side," Sergeant said.

"We're in the third wagon, all the windows are broken, and our wagon is off the tracks," he added.

The SNCF, which said traffic has been halted on the line, did not mention yet the cause of the accident.