12 killed in French train fire

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Twelve people were killed and nine injured, including some Britons, when a train heading for Austria caught fire in eastern France early today.

The fire broke out as the overnight train was leaving the eastern city of Nancy, officials in the Meurthe-et-Moselle region said. The train had been heading from Paris to Vienna via Strasbourg, near the border with Germany.

Authorities were initially attributing the cause to an electrical problem, possibly in the heating system.

Those killed, most by smoke inhalation, were six men, five women and one child, authorities said. Their nationality was not immediately known.

The injured were taken to a university hospital in Nancy. Regional official Jean-Francois Cordet said Americans, as well as French, British and Germans, were among those hurt.

A train conductor alerted authorities at about 2.15am (3.15am British time) when he noticed smoke pouring from a wagon.

"Rescuers got to the scene at 2.22am They discovered the first sleeping car charred," Cordet said. "Inside were 12 dead, nine injured."

The train was stopped on a track outside the Nancy train station and firefighters moved in. The train belonged to Germany's national railroad, Deutsche Bahn, and dated back to the 1960s.

Chief firefighter Jean-Louis Modere said most victims died of smoke inhalation, though he did not say exactly how many.

"We quickly realised the seriousness of the situation," he said. "The catastrophe was amplified by the fact that it was in a confined space. The fire was limited, and the amount of smoke very quickly became catastrophic."

Police investigators were on the scene. A team of psychologists was sent in to help survivors cope with the trauma.

Officials offered passengers shelter in a local gymnasium, France Info radio reported.

Fatal train accidents are extremely rare in France, whose high-speed rail network is considered one of the best in the world.