In Strasbourg in eastern France, about 50 people were injured on Saturday when two trams collided in a tunnel near the central railway station. Preliminary findings allowed us to exclude the hypothesis of intentional conduct, the prosecutor's office announced.
Earlier, the prefecture reported 20 injured people, describing their condition as not life-threatening. More recent information about approximately 50 lightly injured people was provided by the rescue services. They also reported that approximately 100 people escaped the accident unscathed. The injuries suffered by passengers included a sprained ankle or a broken collarbone.
The causes of the collision, which occurred around 16. The regional television France 3 reported that for unknown reasons one of the trams was on the wrong tracks and hit another one standing at the stop. The Ministry of Transport stated that by analyzing the published recordings, it can be concluded that “a much more serious catastrophe was close to occurring.”
News portals published recordings from social media showing huge clouds of smoke emerging from the tram. The frames also show that people on the street were trying to open the locked doors of the vehicle.
In Strasbourg, where the seats of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe are located, the tram network, closed 30 years earlier, was restored in 1994. After 1994, no serious accidents were recorded there.
Main photo source: FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP / EastNews