High-speed train derails in France; 21 injured

One of France's vaunted high-speed trains derailed on a trip to Paris on Thursday, injuring the driver and 20 other people.

The driver, who was taken to hospital by helicopter, managed to slam on the emergency brakes and bring the train to a halt.

The train, carrying 300 passengers, was heading from Colmar in eastern France to the capital and traveling at a speed of almost 300 kilometres per hour (186 miles per hour) when it jumped the tracks at Ingenheim, near Strasbourg.

The derailment opened a gash on the pointed nose of the sleek train, which stayed upright.

Its side was scratched and some windows were cracked.

An investigation was to determine whether the train struck an earth bank that collapsed close to the track.

The derailment was the first involving a commercially operated TGV train with passengers on board.

A fatal accident involving a TGV test train took place on the same rail line in 2015 before its official opening.