Quick Answer: At least 19 people were injured on Thursday evening when a minibus carrying lorry drivers struck a freight train at the Eurotunnel loading platform in Coquelles, near Calais. None of the injuries are life-threatening, officials said, and it is the first such accident on a Eurotunnel platform since services began in 1994.
At least 19 people were injured on Thursday evening after a minibus collided with a freight train at a loading platform for the Channel Tunnel in northern France, the local prefect's office said, marking the first accident of its kind on a Eurotunnel loading platform since the services started running in 1994.
The minibus struck the side of the train as it was about to depart from a loading dock at 7.27pm local time, Agathe Cury, the Calais region sub-prefect, said, according to The Times. None of the injuries were life-threatening, the prefecture said in a statement, which added that ambulances, a helicopter and police were at the scene.
The crash happened at the Eurotunnel site at Coquelles, near Calais, where vehicles board trains for the journey beneath the English Channel. The Pas-de-Calais prefect's office said 18 passengers and the driver were hurt, while French media reported that five people had sustained serious leg or head injuries.
What happened at the Coquelles loading platform
According to the prefecture, the minibus was carrying lorry drivers preparing to travel through the tunnel. Cury said the injured were men of different nationalities and their consulates had been notified. She added that the bus driver was a Eurotunnel employee.
Cury said it was unclear why the bus hit the train, adding that "this is the first time an accident of this kind has occurred" on a Eurotunnel loading platform since services started running in 1994. She described the scene: "There was a Le Shuttle train on each side of the loading dock. One was being loaded with lorries to go through the Channel Tunnel. The other had previously been loaded and was about to depart. For a reason that is still unknown, the minibus struck the shuttle train that was about to depart. The bus did not overturn. The impact and the collision caused injuries."
Emergency responders, ambulances and a helicopter equipped with a mobile intensive-care unit rushed to the scene. Two of the injured were airlifted to Lille, and the others were taken to hospitals in Calais, Boulogne, Dunkirk and Rang-du-Fliers, Cury said. "At this stage, no lives are in danger." The prefect's office added: "The initial report indicates 19 people involved, including the driver. No deaths are to be reported at this stage and no lives are in danger."
How the Channel Tunnel collision disrupted travel
Freight traffic through the tunnel was not disrupted, but Getlink passenger shuttles were suspended for about an hour while emergency services treated the victims, Cury said. By around 10.30pm local time, normal traffic had resumed.
Eurostar, the passenger service linking London with Paris and other destinations, said its services were not affected. "An incident occurred several kilometres away from the Channel Tunnel tonight, not involving Eurostar," the company said. "This incident does not impact Eurostar trains running from and to London. All Eurostar trains will run as expected." The last two Paris–London trains on Thursday were cancelled, but Eurostar said this was due to engineering works, not the collision.
The UK Foreign Office said it was "following reports of a collision on the French side of the Eurotunnel. Our thoughts are with all those impacted. We stand ready to provide consular assistance to any British nationals involved."
Journalists at the scene reported that the area around the tunnel entrance was sealed off on Thursday evening, with a helicopter and several emergency vehicles present, according to SCMP.
Investigation launched into the cause
Prosecutors in Boulogne-sur-Mer have opened an investigation on suspicion of unintentional injury. A photograph published by La Voix du Nord, a regional news site, showed a Mercedes vehicle on the platform with heavy damage to its front chassis.
The setting makes this incident stand out: at 50km (31 miles) long, the Channel Tunnel is the longest infrastructure of its kind in the world, and it has linked Coquelles and Folkestone since 1994. Operated by Getlink, it handles several hundred trains a day — Le Shuttle services carrying vehicles, plus rail freight — around 2.2 million car crossings a year and 8 million passengers, according to the company. Eurostar, which has held a monopoly on cross-Channel passenger rail services for decades, said it carried 11.8 million passengers in 2025.
Key takeaways
- At least 19 people were injured — 18 passengers and the driver — when a minibus struck a freight train at the Eurotunnel loading platform in Coquelles, near Calais, on Thursday evening.
- None of the injuries are life-threatening, the Pas-de-Calais prefect's office said; French media reported five people suffered serious leg or head injuries.
- The minibus was carrying lorry drivers of various nationalities preparing to board Le Shuttle, and was driven by a Eurotunnel employee; the cause is unknown.
- Officials say this is the first accident of its kind on a Eurotunnel loading platform since services began in 1994.
- Getlink shuttles were suspended for about an hour and freight traffic was unaffected; Eurostar said all its trains ran as scheduled.
- An investigation has been opened by prosecutors in Boulogne-sur-Mer on suspicion of unintentional injury.
Why it matters
The Channel Tunnel is one of the busiest transport links in Europe, carrying millions of vehicles and passengers a year between Britain and the continent. An accident on its loading platforms — where lorries are manoeuvred onto shuttle trains — touches the infrastructure at the heart of that system, even though services kept running. For travellers the impact was small, but with two people airlifted to Lille, it remains the first accident of its kind at the terminal in more than three decades of operation.
What happens next
Prosecutors in Boulogne-sur-Mer will examine how a minibus came to strike a departing train on a loading dock built for controlled vehicle movements. No timeline for the inquiry has been given. Getlink has announced no changes to its procedures, and services are running normally.
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Frequently asked questions
When did the Channel Tunnel crash happen?
At around 7.27pm local time on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at the Eurotunnel loading platform in Coquelles, near Calais, on the French side of the Channel Tunnel. A minibus struck the side of a freight train about to depart from a loading dock.
How many people were injured in the Channel Tunnel bus crash?
Officials said 19 people were involved — 18 passengers and the driver. None of the injuries were life-threatening, the prefecture said, though French media reported five people had sustained serious leg or head injuries. Two of the injured were airlifted to Lille.
Who was on the minibus that hit the train?
Lorry drivers of various nationalities who were preparing to board a Le Shuttle train to travel through the tunnel, officials said. The bus driver was a Eurotunnel employee. The injured were men of different nationalities, and their consulates have been notified.
What caused the minibus to hit the train?
The cause is not yet known. Calais sub-prefect Agathe Cury said it was unclear why the bus struck the train, and prosecutors in Boulogne-sur-Mer have opened an investigation on suspicion of unintentional injury. She noted it is the first accident of its kind on a Eurotunnel loading platform since 1994.
Were Eurostar trains affected by the accident?
No. Eurostar said the incident did not involve its trains and all London–Paris services ran as scheduled. The last two Thursday trains were cancelled due to engineering works, not the collision. Getlink suspended vehicle shuttles for about an hour; freight traffic was not disrupted.
Has an accident like this happened before at the Channel Tunnel?
No. Officials said this is the first accident of its kind on a Eurotunnel loading platform since services started running in 1994. With more than three decades of continuous operation behind it, the Coquelles collision is an unprecedented event in the tunnel's history, according to local officials.
Sources
- The Times — "Channel Tunnel crash: at least 19 hurt as bus hits train" (15 October 2026)
- South China Morning Post — "Bus hits train near Channel Tunnel in France, injuring 19" (15 October 2026)
- Graphic Online — "19 injured after collision between bus and train on French side" (15 October 2026, citing BBC)
- Reuters via WNCY — "Nineteen hurt after minibus hits train at French channel tunnel terminal" (15 October 2026)
By GlobalDeskNews Staff | 16 October 2026