French officials have begun an inquiry into safety measures at rail level crossings, after 12 people were killed yesterday and 39 injured in a collision between a train and a fuel truck at an automatic crossing. "It was a vision of apocalypse, seeing a carriage go up in flames as fuel was sprayed all over it," a witness said.
At least eight of the injured were said to be critical last night.
"Improvements have certainly been made to better mark level crossings but we still need to do more about this type of situation," the Transport Minister, Mr JeanClaude Gayssot, told reporters at the scene.
The passenger train, travelling from Bordeaux to Bergerac, in south-western France, ploughed into the fully-laden fuel truck in the town of Sainte-Antoine du Breuilh. The truck was carrying 30,000 litres of petrol.
Local officials said the truck's cab hit a house while the tanker was dragged along by the train before bursting into flames which quickly engulfed the engine and two carriages.
"There was panic. With some others, we broke the windows of the carriage to help people get out," one man said.
About 160 rescue workers, 23 ambulances, six fire trucks and four helicopters were involved in rescue efforts.
Railways unions said there had been several lesser accidents at the same spot and many demands had been made for the road crossing to be improved.
Mr Louis Gallois, chairman of the SNCF national railway authority, said there were more than 17,500 level crossings in France and that, at present, some 500 a year were being eliminated.
"Should we be moving more quickly? I think this requires a coordinated national effort," he said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine the accident's causes.
The French Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, issued a statement offering condolences to the families of the victims.
Mr Jospin said he would personally follow the official inquiry which would apportion blame and determine if additional safety steps were needed.