Bus hits train stopped on French side of Channel Tunnel, with 19 injured
Two people were airlifted to hospital but no-one's life appeared to be in danger, officials said.
Key points
- A bus hit a stationary freight train near the French Channel Tunnel entrance on Thursday.
- The bus driver and 18 passengers were injured, two severely but not life-threateningly.
- Eurostar and freight traffic were not disrupted after a brief stoppage.
A bus carrying lorry drivers collided with a stationary freight train near the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel on Thursday evening, injuring 19 people, French authorities said. The crash occurred at 19:27 local time (18:27 BST) at the loading platform in Coquelles, near Calais.
The bus driver and one passenger were severely injured and evacuated by helicopter. A local official said none of the injuries were life threatening. The bus was transporting workers who were about to board Le Shuttle, and all were men of different nationalities.
What officials said
Local sub-prefect Agathe Cury said the bus hit a train that had previously been loaded and was departing. "For a reason that currently remains unknown, the minibus collided with the departing train," she said. The bus remained upright, but the collision caused injuries.
Cury said freight and Eurostar passenger traffic through the tunnel had not been disrupted after a brief stoppage to evacuate the injured. An investigation has begun. She added that it was the first time such an incident had occurred on a Eurotunnel loading platform.
For a reason that currently remains unknown, the minibus collided with the departing train.
— Agathe Cury
Impact on travellers
Eurostar released an update saying the incident occurred several kilometers away from the Channel Tunnel and did not involve or impact its trains running from and to London. All Eurostar trains would run as expected.
BBC reporter Evan Davis, who was travelling through the tunnel at the time, saw blue light vehicles concentrated on one platform. He said cars were queueing at check-in but were not being held. It is not clear whether any British nationals are among the injured.
