A minibus collided with a stationary train near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel in northern France on Thursday, injuring the driver and 18 passengers, authorities said.
Two people, including the bus driver, were seriously injured and airlifted to a hospital in Lille, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, the local prefect said, revising down earlier reports of five people seriously injured passengers. The other injured passengers were brought to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The minibus was carrying truck drivers of various nationalities preparing to board a shuttle train through the tunnel. LeShuttle carries vehicles and their passengers through the tunnel.
Pas-de-Calais Deputy Prefect Agathe Cury said an inquiry was launched to determine what caused the accident.
“This is the first time an incident of this type has occurred” at a Eurotunnel loading platform, she said.
Eurostar and freight service to continue
Eurostar, which runs passenger train services between mainland Europe and the UK, said the collision would not impact its services.
“An incident occurred several kilometers away from the Channel Tunnel tonight, not involving Eurostar. This incident does not impact Eurostar trains running from and to London. All of Eurostar trains will run as expected,” the company said in a statement.
The last two trains between Paris and London were canceled. Eurostar said this was due to engineering work, not the accident.
The 50-kilometer (31-mile) Channel Tunnel is the longest infrastructure of its kind in the world. It has linked Coquelles in northern France and Folkestone in England since 1994. Operated by Getlink, the tunnel is used by several hundred trains every day.
Eurostar, which is a separate entity, has held a monopoly on cross-Channel passenger rail services for decades, said it carried 11.8 million passengers in 2025.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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