France is already reeling after terrorists attacked the country's capitol last night, killing 153 and wounding many more. But this morning tragedy struck the country a second time when a train derailed in eastern France, near the German border, killing seven people and seriously injuring 11. Reuters reports that the crash occurred because the train was traveling at excessively high speeds, although it's too early to say why the train, which was completing a test run, was traveling so quickly.
Photos show the train lying half submerged in a canal a short distance from the tracks. Police and rescue workers arrived on the scene shortly after the crash and can be seen using inflatable rafts and stretchers to carry victims to safety. Apparently all 49 passengers on the train were SNCF employees—the French equivalent of New York City's MTA. Both last night's attacks and this morning's crash are horrifying, but it's truly awful that an already-devastated country must overcome yet another tragedy.
