Minibus hits train at Calais Channel Tunnel terminal, 19 hurt

Nineteen people were injured, five of them seriously, when a minibus crashed into the side of a stationary train at the Channel Tunnel freight terminal in Coquelles, near Calais, during the early evening of Thursday, French authorities said.

The minibus was carrying lorry drivers who were due to board a Le Shuttle service when it ended up on the loading platform and struck the side of a shuttle train that was about to depart, Pas-de-Calais sub-prefect Agathe Cury told reporters, according to Franceinfo. She said it was the first time such an accident had happened on that type of loading platform, and that the exact cause had not yet been established.

Two of the most seriously hurt were flown by helicopter to a hospital in Lille, while the other 17 injured, including the minibus driver, were taken to hospitals in Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, Cury said. None of the injured, who were of several nationalities, was in danger of dying, she added. The consulates of the passengers' home countries were informed, the sub-prefecture said.

A medical helicopter, 55 firefighters and border police were sent to the scene, Franceinfo reported. Prosecutors have opened a judicial investigation into the circumstances of the crash, the sub-prefect said.

Eurotunnel suspended Le Shuttle services for about ninety minutes before traffic returned to normal, German outlet 20 Minuten reported. Eurostar passenger trains between France and the UK were not affected, Belgian broadcaster VRT NWS reported, despite some earlier reports suggesting cross-Channel rail traffic had been disrupted.

Earlier reports gave conflicting accounts of the collision, some describing a freight train striking a stationary bus. The sub-prefect's account, that the minibus struck the side of a departing shuttle, is the authoritative version.

The prefecture said emergency teams were deployed to care for injured passengers and examine the loading-area collision. Eurostar passenger trains continued running while freight traffic at the affected site was stopped, according to Franceinfo.

Officials did not identify a mechanical failure or assign responsibility for the crash in the supplied reporting. The cause remained under investigation, and no final operating timetable for the freight terminal was provided.