Bus hits train near Channel Tunnel in France, 19 hurt

COQUELLES, France: A minibus collided with a stationary train in a Channel Tunnel vehicle boarding area in France on Thursday (Oct 15) evening, injuring the driver and 18 passengers, authorities said. 

Five people were severely injured though no one's life appeared to be in danger, the local prefect said in a statement.

The minibus was carrying truck drivers of various nationalities who were heading to travel on a LeShuttle train, which carries vehicles and their passengers through the tunnel.

The area around the tunnel entrance was sealed off on Thursday evening, AFP correspondents at the scene reported, with a helicopter and several emergency vehicles present.

An investigation has been opened on suspicion of unintentional injury, the local prosecutors' office in Boulogne-sur-Mer told AFP.

Calais deputy prefect Agathe Cury told a news conference that freight traffic was not disrupted but Getlink passenger shuttles were suspended for an hour while emergency services took care of the victims.

Speaking at 8:30pm GMT (Friday, 4:30am, Singapore time), she said normal traffic had resumed.

Passenger train service Eurostar said its services were not affected.

At 50 kilometres (31 miles) in length, the 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, it is used by several hundred trains every day.

Getlink runs Le Shuttle, trains carrying vehicles between France and the United Kingdom, as well as a rail freight service.

According to its website, the company handles around 2.2 million car crossings a year and carries eight million passengers.

Separately, Eurostar, which has held a monopoly on cross-Channel passenger rail services for decades, said it carried 11.8 million passengers in 2025.

However, Thursday evening's accident involved "no Eurostar train and has no impact on Eurostar services to and from London", the company said in a statement.