Lunchtime news Thursday 5th March 2020

Lunchtime news Thursday 5th March 2020

Motorcyclist killed - A motorcyclist has been killed in a road accident in Cannes. The accident involving two cars and the motorcyclist occurred around 11pm on Wednesday evening.

An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances the age and gender of the victim are still unknown. Two pedestrians and three motorcyclists have lost their lives since the start of the year in the Alpes-Maritimes.

Meanwhile on the regions roads this morning four cars were involved in a collision shortly after 10am on the A8 motorway at the Cannes La Bocca exit westbound in the direction of the Var.

The damaged cars were on the left and middle lanes, causing long jams in the area. No injuries were reported.

First coronavirus cases in Corsica – Corsica, which until now had no reported cases of the coronavirus, has this morning confirmed three. The patients are being taken care of at the Ajaccio hospital center" where they have been "placed in isolation" and "their clinical condition shows no sign of seriousness,"

According to the last official point of Public Health France dating from Wednesday, there remains only the Center-Val-de-Loire region without cases in mainland France.

Wednesday evening, before the announcement of the three Corsican cases, the director general of health Jérôme Salomon had reported 285 confirmed cases on French territory, including 15 in serious condition. Four people have died.

Demonstrations against pension reform - Demonstrations have been planned today Nice against the government pension reform and following the announcement that they are to pass through article 49.3 without a vote in parliament.

Demonstrators gathered at 10am this morning and due to the event disruptions to the tram and bus network are expected in Nice.

Air traffic control - Meanwhile a call for strike action by French air traffic controllers from 5th to 8th March in the context of a national movement could cause some disruptions on flights schedule in France.

TGV derails injuring 21 people – 21 people have been injured after a Strasbourg to Paris TGV derailed about thirty kilometers north of Strasbourg this morning at 7.45am. According to reports one of the injured the driver, is in a critical condition. 348 passengers were on board", according to the prefecture. The accident, occurred while the train was traveling at 270 km/h. It is reported to have hit an obstacle on the track.

Nearly a hundred firefighters were deployed to the scene. Train traffic has been diverted in both directions, causing delays.

SNCF has launched an internal investigation.

A TGV had already derailed in 2015 in the Bas-Rhin, when a test TGV carrying out the last test on the section of the Paris-Strasbourg high-speed line had derailed in Eckwersheim, killing 11 people among the 53 people on board.