Detail of an aerial photograph showing the crash scene
The Zoufftgen rail crash occurred on October 11, 2006, near Zoufftgen, Moselle, France, close to Metz and the border with Luxembourg. Two trains collided head-on while one track of a double track line was out of service for maintenance. At least 6 people, including the drivers of both trains, were killed and 20 more were injured in the accident.
The accident happened just 20 metres from the Luxembourg border, and the end of one of the two trains was still in Luxembourg, which gave a very international dimension to the crash. The two trains involved were a Luxembourg (CFL) passenger train connecting Luxembourg to Nancy (this line is known as Metrolor) and an SNCF train going the other way. Two of the people killed were Luxembourgers, the other four were French.
After further investigations by SNCF and CFL, railway officials came to the conclusion that the fault lay with the Luxembourg rail traffic controllers who cleared the passenger train onto the same track as the freight train. Luxembourg's Transport Minister Lucien Lux was quoted as saying "It's tough to say, but it's the fault of the CFL."[1]
