French TGV train hits truck, one dead, 25 injured

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The accident happened near the village of Tossiat, in eastern France and near the Swiss border, a spokesman for the local government said.

PARIS (Reuters) - A French high speed train hit a truck on Wednesday, killing the vehicle's driver and injuring 25 passengers, officials said.

The accident happened near the village of Tossiat, in eastern France and near the Swiss border, a spokesman for the local government said.

"We regret the death of the driver of the lorry. One person was seriously injured and 24 people suffered light injuries and are being treated by medics at the scene," he said.

France Info radio said the high speed TGV train, which was traveling from Paris to Geneva, had been derailed. The radio interviewed a passenger who said the lorry had been dragged down the tracks and broken apart.

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"We were lucky that the train wasn't traveling at its top speed," the passenger added. "People have been injured and they just put a call out for doctors."

French state railways said the accident happened at a level crossing.

(Reporting by Kerstin Gehmlich and Laure Bretton, Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Keith Weir)