A bus has hit a stationary freight train near the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel, injuring the driver and 18 passengers, French authorities said. The crash happened at the tunnel’s loading platform in Coquelles, near Calais, at 19:27 local time (17:27 GMT).
The bus was carrying lorry drivers who were due to take a shuttle rail service through the tunnel.
Two seriously hurt in Coquelles crash
Two people were severely injured and evacuated by helicopter, although a local official said no one’s life appeared to be in danger. Local sub-prefect Agathe Cury said everyone involved was a man, and that they were of different nationalities.
Cury said freight and Eurostar passenger traffic through the tunnel had not been disrupted, apart from a brief stoppage to allow the injured to be evacuated.
Eurostar says London services are unaffected
Photos from the scene show a small bus with damage to its front and side standing beside a train, surrounded by emergency workers. Eurostar said the incident occurred several kilometres away from the tunnel and did not involve or affect its trains to and from London, all of which would run as expected.
