The only survivor of the TER accident, admitted to the Basque Coast hospital in Bayonne, was heard by the prosecution on Wednesday.
The survivor of the TER accident in Ciboure (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), which left three dead and one injured on the morning of Tuesday, October 12, near Saint-Jean-de-Luz, explained that the four Algerian nationals were present on this railway to avoid police checks, learned this Wednesday, France Blue Basque Country, with the Bayonne prosecutor’s office.
The only survivor of this tragedy, who had been admitted to the Basque Coast hospital in Bayonne, was heard by the prosecution on Wednesday, despite his state of fatigue. This man explained that he and his three companions, Algerian nationals trying to enter French territory irregularly, were trying to avoid police checks.
It is for this reason that the four people found themselves on this unlit railway line and deserted at night. According to the survivor, following a railway line also allowed the group not to get lost. He also indicated that his group wanted to take a train, without giving more information on their destination. Tired, the four migrants decided to rest by lying on the tracks.
In addition, the investigators were able to advance in the identification of the victims, thanks to a collaboration with the Spanish services, country through which the four people had passed before arriving in France. The prosecution confirms that the four men are all migrants of Algerian nationality. The prosecutor’s services are in contact with the Algerian consulate to identify them formally.