6 officials have been charged in connection with the Lagny railway disaster , France 23 December 1933 . Six officials , including two chief engineers of the Eastern Railway Company , were charged with manslaughter , imprudence and negligent inattention as a result of the judicial inquiry into the causes of the railway disaster at Lagny in which over 200 passengers were killed and 300 injured . The accused are M Merlin , Chief operating engineer of the Central Division , M Montignault foreman at the train assembly depot of Lavillette , M Mougeot a controller at the depot , M Pietremont , his assistant and M Garon , whose duty was to see that the signal registering apparatus on the Strasbourg Express worked normally . Photo shows , left to right ; M Matelot , M Mougeot , M Pietremont and M Merlin at Meaux , where they appeared before M Reboul , the investigating magistrates . 4 January 1934