French rail operator says error led to Web statement of explosion causing 102 deaths

French rail co. falsely announces train explosion

PARIS — France’s railway operator says an “internal error” caused it to post a false statement on its Web site saying a train explosion had killed 102 people.

The announcement on SNCF’s home page described an “explosion of unknown origin” on train number 1234 near the town of Macon on a Paris-Dijon line. It cited early estimates “of 102 killed and 380 injured.”

Journalists flooded the SNCF with phone calls after the statement Tuesday. The statement was later taken off the site.

An SNCF spokeswoman said the announcement was false and part of an exercise. She said it stemmed from an “internal error” — not a hacker attack. She spoke only on condition of anonymity because of company policy.