Nineteen injured as minibus hits train at Eurotunnel terminal near Calais
Two people, including the driver, are critically hurt, but French authorities say no lives are in danger and an inquiry has been opened.
At a glance
- Nineteen people were injured when a minibus collided with a train at the Eurotunnel loading platform near Calais on Thursday evening.
- Two people, including the driver, were critically injured and airlifted to a hospital in Lille; 17 others were taken to nearby hospitals.
- The shuttle service was suspended for 90 minutes and an inquiry has been opened into the cause; Eurostar said its trains were unaffected.
Nineteen people were injured on Thursday evening when a minibus collided with a train at the loading platform of the Eurotunnel site near Calais, French authorities said.
The minibus was carrying lorry drivers who were due to board a LeShuttle service through the Channel tunnel. Pas-de-Calais underprefect Agathe Cury told reporters that 18 passengers and the bus driver were hurt.
Two people, including the driver, were critically injured and airlifted to the University hospital in Lille. The remaining 17 were taken to hospitals in Helfaut, Calais, Boulogne, Montreuil-sur-Mer and Dunkirk.
"There is no risk to anyone's life," Cury said.
Inquiry opened
Cury said an inquiry had been launched into the causes of the incident. She said that "for reasons currently unknown" the minibus struck the shuttle "as it was departing". The Pas-de-Calais prefecture said in an earlier statement that the minibus was headed to board a LeShuttle train when the accident happened at the loading platform.
About 200 emergency responders and other personnel were sent to the scene. The shuttle service through the tunnel was suspended for 90 minutes before gradually resuming by late evening, authorities said.
The prefecture said significant resources were deployed immediately by Eurotunnel and then placed under the authority of the Prefect of the Pas-de-Calais department. In its early assessment, it said 19 people were involved, including the driver, and that there were no fatalities.
The local news outlet La Voix du Nord published a photograph showing a badly damaged minibus on the platform, with police officers and staff in high-visibility jackets at the scene.
Eurostar unaffected
Eurostar said the incident was not expected to affect its service. In a status update, it said the incident happened several kilometres away from the Channel tunnel and did not involve or affect its trains running from and to London, adding that all of its trains would run as expected.
The tunnel, which opened in 1994, carried 3.4 million vehicles last year along with millions of Eurostar passengers.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- How many people were injured in the Eurotunnel minibus accident?
- Nineteen people were injured, according to Pas-de-Calais underprefect Agathe Cury: 18 passengers and the minibus driver. Two of them, including the driver, were critically injured.
- Were Eurostar services affected by the incident near Calais?
- Eurostar said the incident happened several kilometres from the Channel tunnel and did not involve or affect its trains running from and to London. It said all of its trains would run as expected.
- What caused the minibus to hit the train at the Eurotunnel terminal?
- The cause is not yet known. Cury said an inquiry had been launched and that "for reasons currently unknown" the minibus struck the shuttle as it was departing.
