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Faulty fishplate blamed for fatal Bretigny-sur-Orge derailment

Investigators believe a faulty fishplate is responsible for derailment in Paris which led to the deaths of six people.

An intercity service between Paris and Limoges came off the tracks while travelling at 137km/h and crashed into a platform at Brétigny-sur-Orge station at 17.14 (16.14 GMT) July 12.

Three-hundred-and-eighty-five passengers were onboard the train at the time.

A fishplate is thought to have somehow come loose and subsequently lodged in a point 200 metres from the station.

As well as launching a more detailed investigation into the exact cause of this incident, SNCF has said that it will now also inspect around 5,000 similar connections around the network.

SNCF is continuing to clear the accident scene and a minute’s silence was held over the weekend at every railway station in the country.

Speaking to French TV yesterday (July 14) President François Hollande said the incident highlighted the need for more investment in the country’s intercity lines. He also praised the train’s driver, who by sounding the alarm quickly, is thought to have prevented another train from colliding with the wreckage.

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