A bus collided with a stationary freight train near the French entrance to the Eurotunnel, resulting in injuries to the driver and 18 passengers. The incident occurred on Thursday at 19:27 (18:27 GMT) on the loading platform at Coquelles, near Calais.
The bus driver and one passenger sustained serious injuries and were evacuated by helicopter. According to local officials, none of the injuries were life-threatening. The bus was transporting truck drivers who were due to travel via the rail shuttle service, and it was a minibus carrying workers immediately prior to boarding the Le Shuttle. All passengers were men of various nationalities, and it is not clear if British citizens are among the injured.
The local sub-prefect, Agathe Cury, stated that freight and Eurostar passenger traffic through the tunnel was not disrupted following a brief pause due to the evacuation of the injured. Cury added that this was the first time such an incident had occurred on the Eurotunnel’s loading platform. An investigation has been launched.
Two trains were located on the platform, one on either side. One train was in the process of loading heavy vehicles for the crossing, while the other, previously loaded, was departing. The minibus collided with the departing train for reasons not yet established. The bus did not overturn and remained upright.
A BBC journalist was passing through the Eurotunnel in the direction of Calais at the time of the incident. They observed emergency vehicles with flashing lights concentrated on one of the platforms entering France, and noted several cars waiting in a queue at the checkpoint, with a few vehicles passing through. Images published by the local French newspaper La Voix du Nord show a small bus with damage to its front and side, standing next to the train, surrounded by numerous emergency services.
Eurostar issued a statement stating that the incident occurred several kilometres from the Eurotunnel and did not involve or affect Eurostar trains operating between London and other destinations. All their trains will operate as scheduled. The Eurotunnel runs beneath the sea between England and France, from Folkestone in Kent to Coquelles on the French side, with three different rail services operating through it: Eurostar, freight trains, and the Le Shuttle. Eurostar is a passenger train heading from London to several European destinations, freight trains carry goods, and the Le Shuttle transports vehicles.
