Minibus hit by freight train at Eurotunnel entrance: Around 20 injured near Coquelles

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Minibus hit by freight train at Eurotunnel entrance: Around 20 injured near Coquelles.

Coquelles, Thursday evening, October 15, 2026, shortly before 8 p.m.: A serious collision occurred at the French entrance of the Eurotunnel. A minibus, which was supposed to take truck drivers to their train to Great Britain, slammed into a stationary freight train at the level of a platform. The accident site is located in the Pas-de-Calais department, not far from the English Channel coast near Calais – exactly where rolling road traffic switches to rail and trucks are loaded.

A Routine Procedure That Escalates

What is normally a familiar routine at the terminal ended in disaster on Thursday evening. According to the prefecture, the minibus was transporting truck drivers whose trucks were to be carried by rail through the Channel Tunnel to Great Britain. The collision with the stationary freight train occurred on the loading ramp at the tunnel entrance. How it was possible for the bus to ram the stopped train was initially unclear – neither the prefecture nor other authorities had commented on the exact sequence of events so far.

19 Injured, Five in Critical Condition

According to the Pas-de-Calais department, which announced via the X platform, 19 people were injured. Five of them were in critical condition; however, according to initial assessment, no one had suffered life-threatening injuries. The broadcaster TF1, citing the prefecture, reported that the injuries primarily affected legs and heads. According to the information available, those affected were truck drivers who had wanted to load their cargo onto the rail toward Great Britain.

Rail Traffic Through the Channel Tunnel Grinds to a Halt

The immediate consequences: According to media reports, all rail traffic through the Channel Tunnel was suspended in both directions. The last Eurostar trains of the day between London and Paris were also unable to depart – travelers who had wanted to journey between the two capitals on Thursday evening had to rearrange or postpone their trips. How long the closure would last was still unclear at the editorial deadline of this report.

Rescue Services Deployed, Press Statement Announced

Rescue services, firefighters, and a rescue helicopter were deployed at the accident site. For 10:15 p.m., the deputy prefect of the Calais district, Agathe Cury, announced a press statement in which she intended to give initial details on the sequence of events. Until then, the exact circumstances of the collision remained in the dark.

What Remains Open

The central questions – why the minibus rammed the stationary freight train, whether technical failure, human error, or another vehicle was involved, and when rail traffic through the Channel Tunnel can be resumed – will probably not be answered until the next few hours. Then, once the rescue operations are complete and the investigations yield initial results, it will also become clear what consequences the accident will have for cross-border freight transport.