09 March,2009 05:23 AM IST | | AP
A suburban train struck a group of football fans walking along the tracks in Paris, killing two people including a 10-year-old boy and injuring 11 others, authorities said.
Jean-Pierre Farandou, regional chief of train authority SNCF, said it appeared that the visiting Lille supporters had taken a shortcut back to their bus after Saturday night's match at the Stade de France north of the city.
SNCF said the empty train was unable to stop in time. Guillaume Pepy, head of SNCF, said the accident was "without precedent" and stressed that walking on the tracks is illegal.
"Never, never, never, for any reason, are you allowed to walk on tracks," Pepy said, calling it "extraordinarily dangerous." Some 80 rescue workers were called to the scene.
A 10-year-old boy and a 17-year-old were killed, according to the regional prefecture. The injured were taken to three hospitals, and one of them was in critical condition, the prefecture said. It was not immediately clear how the fans gained access to the train tracks.
Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau asked a special land transport investigative unit to immediately open an inquiry.
