Bid to identify bodies after French train fire

French authorities are trying to identify 12 people killed after a train caught fire overnight leaving at least nine others injured…

French authorities are trying to identify 12 people killed after a train caught fire overnight leaving at least nine others injured.

The overnight train from Paris was heading for Austria when it caught fire as it was leaving Nancy in eastern France.

Six men, five women and one child were killed in the blaze, believed to have been caused by an electrical problem.

Among the dead are thought to be five Americans and four Germans. Three Britons have been injured and are being treated in hospital.

READ MORE

The victims died of smoke inhalation as they slept, but the train was stopped and the fire put out before it spread beyond the first two carriages.

Chief firefighter Jean-Louis Modere 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."

Unofficial reports blame the outbreak on a short circuit in the train's heating system. A full-scale inquiry is now under way.

The train had been heading from Paris to Vienna via Strasbourg, near the border with Germany. The fire began shortly after 2am with 150 passengers on board.