1961 Vitry-Le-François train bombing
| 1961 Vitry-Le-François train bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Blacy, Marne |
| Date | 18 June 1961 |
| Target | train |
Attack type | Bomb |
| Deaths | 28 |
Non-fatal injuries | 100 |
| Perpetrators | Organisation de l'armée secrète |
The Vitry-Le-François train bombing of 18 June 1961 was a bomb attack on a Strasbourg–Paris train carried out by the Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS), a paramilitary organization opposed to the independence of Algeria in the Algerian War. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in modern French history, killing 28 people and injuring over 100.[1]
The bombing targeted the No. 12 express train, which derailed while traveling at high speed near the small village of Blacy, Marne between Vitry-le-François and Loisy-sur-Marne. On the day after the derailment, investigators found that the rails had been sabotaged using an explosive device that functioned when the train passed over it. It also emerged that the stationmaster at Vitry-le-François had earlier received a threatening letter from the OAS.[2]
See also
- List of terrorist attacks in France
External links
- Photos of the derailment (Getty Images)
References
- ↑ Pech, Marie-Estelle (7 January 2015). "L'attentat le plus meurtrier depuis Vitry-Le-François en 1961" [The deadliest attack since Vitry-Le-François in 1961]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 7 January 2015. (Archive)
- ↑ "Journal officiel de la république française". 30 January 1962. p. 3. (Archive) "2294. — 2ß décembre 1951. — M. Jacques Duclos expose à M. le ministre des travaux publics et des transports : a) que le 18 juin 1961, vers 15 heures 10, le train rapide n° 12 Strasbourg—Paris déraillait à la hauteur du petit village de Blacy (Marne), entre les gares de Vitry-le-François et Loisy-sur-Marne[...]e) que le chef de gare de Vitry-le-François avait reçu avant le déraillement une lettre de menaces de l'O. A. S. disant[...]"