Mechanical Error May Have Caused French Crash

An official says a faulty rail joint may have caused a train derailment outside Paris that left six people dead.

Pierre Izard, an official with the SNCF rail company, told reporters Saturday that investigators found that the joint had moved from its normal position.

Officials said that another train had traveled through the station just before the accident without incident. An investigation will determine why the rail joint, which is part of the switching system that moves trains from one track to another, detached.

A packed train traveling south from Paris derailed Friday night during the busy holiday weekend before Sunday’s Bastille Day celebrations.