19 hurt after minibus hits freight train at Channel Tunnel terminal

A minibus hit a stationary freight train Thursday evening on a platform at the Channel Tunnel on the French side, an accident that left 19 people injured.

The minibus was carrying truck drivers preparing to board a LeShuttle rail shuttle, which transports vehicles and their passengers through the tunnel, according to the Pas-de-Calais prefecture.

"None of the injuries are life-threatening," Calais deputy prefect Agathe Cury told a press briefing around 10:30 p.m. outside the headquarters of Eurotunnel in Coquelles.

The accident, which occurred around 7:30 p.m., also had no impact on the operation of Eurostar passenger trains or freight trains that also use the tunnel. LeShuttle traffic was interrupted for an hour and a half, Cury added.

"Two shuttles were on either side of the platform: one shuttle was being loaded with trucks for a cross-Channel trip, and another shuttle that had previously been loaded was preparing to depart," she explained.

"For reasons currently unknown, the minibus struck the departing shuttle," but the vehicle did not overturn in the collision with the train, she specified.

Among the 19 injured of various nationalities is the driver of the minibus, a Eurotunnel employee, she added.

Two required emergency transport to the Lille hospital, the 17 others were taken to nearer hospital centers. The consulates of the foreign injured individuals "have been informed," said Cury.

'First time' for such an accident

Emergency services, including a mobile emergency and resuscitation service (SMUR) helicopter, firefighters, and border police, quickly intervened on the scene, along with around a hundred staff from Eurotunnel. The perimeter was cordoned off Thursday evening.

According to the deputy prefect of Calais, this is "the first time that an accident of this type has occurred on a loading platform" at the site.

An investigation has been opened into unintentional injuries, said Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor Cécile Gressier.

With a total length of 50.5 km, the Channel Tunnel, the longest infrastructure of its kind in the world, has connected Coquelles in Pas-de-Calais to Folkestone in the United Kingdom since 1994.

Operated by Getlink, it is crossed every day by several hundred trains, and every year by millions of passengers.

Getlink offers the LeShuttle service, trains carrying vehicles between France and the United Kingdom, as well as a rail freight service.

In parallel, Eurostar is currently the sole high-speed passenger rail operator through the Channel Tunnel.

Thursday evening's accident involved "no Eurostar and has no impact on Eurostar services running to and from London," Eurostar confirmed in a statement.

Since opening, the Channel Tunnel has experienced several accidents, sometimes causing injuries or major traffic disruptions.

In November 1996, a fire broke out in a heavy goods vehicle shuttle inside the tunnel, leading to the suspension of freight traffic for several months for repairs and security procedure reviews.

In September 2008, another major fire occurred aboard a freight shuttle traveling in the tunnel, causing reduced traffic for several months.