An intercity train crashed into a station south of Paris during rush hour on Friday causing multiple deaths and injuries in one of the worst rail accidents in France in recent years.
Officials said at least six people were killed and 12 seriously injured. Manuel Valls, the interior minister, called the accident a catastrophe and warned the death toll was likely to rise as rescue services worked to account for victims of the derailment.
The train, with about 370 people aboard, was travelling from Paris to Limoges in central France when it came off the rails at the town of Brétigny-sur-Orge, about 25km south of the capital, shortly after five pm. It was not scheduled to stop at the station.
According to media and witness accounts, the train split in two as it approached the station, with at least one carriage colliding with the platform, smashing into a part of the station roof.
Officials said it was not clear what had caused the accident, which appeared to be the worst to hit the French railway system since 12 people were killed in a fire on a night train travelling from Paris to Munich in 2002.