Nineteen hurt after train and bus crash at the Channel Tunnel entrance

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER and PETER ALLEN and ELEANOR MANN

Published: 20:50 BST, 15 October 2026 | Updated: 23:37 BST, 15 October 2026

At least 19 people have been injured after a freight train and a minibus crashed at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel in France. 

The collision unfolded on Thursday at around 8pm near the tunnel entrance in Pas-de-Calais, sparking a major emergency response, with two people being airlifted to hospital. 

An investigation has now been launched into what happened, authorities announced tonight, saying that it was 'the first time an incident of this type has occurred' on an Eurotunnel loading platform.  

Fifty-five firefighters, 25 teams from the mobile emergency and intensive care service, about 20 border police officers and approximately 100 Eurotunnel staff scrambled to help those caught up in the crash alongside ambulances and a helicopter. 

Those hurt were all on the bus, which was carrying HGV drivers towards a Eurotunnel loading platform. 

French authorities have since confirmed that 19 men, including the minibus driver, of different nationalities were injured, with five of them reported to be serious but not life-threatening. 

The collision unfolded on Thursday evening near the tunnel entrance in Pas-de-Calais

The two people with the most serious injuries were airlifted to University Hospital in Lille, where they remained in 'intensive care' by midnight. 

The 17 other injured were taken to hospitals in Helfaut, Calais, Boulogne, Montreuil-sur-Mer and Dunkirk, with nine being treated by paramedics at the scene of the incident. 

Sources have also now confirmed that the train was stationary at the time of the incident, and the bus had driven into it.

A spokesman for the Pas de Calais prefecture said: 'An initial report indicates 19 people involved, including the driver. No deaths are to be reported at this stage and no lives are in danger.' 

According to the sub-prefect of Calais, the drivers were of different nationalities and were all male. 

The collision happened on the French side of the Channel Tunnel, which connects Folkestone in Kent with Coquelles, near Calais, in northern France. 

Agathe Cury, the Under Prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, said an inquiry was launched tonight into the incident

An inquiry has been launched into the incident, Agathe Cury, the Under Prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region announced tonight.

Ms Cury said it was 'the first time an incident of this type has occurred' on an Eurotunnel loading platform, but added that freight and Eurostar traffic have not been disrupted. 

She also said that 'for reasons currently unknown', the minibus struck the shuttle 'as it was departing', the BBC reported.  

The 31-mile tunnel, which opened in 1994, is one of Britain's most important transport links with mainland Europe.

It carries high-speed Eurostar passenger services, freight trains and LeShuttle services transporting vehicles between Britain and France.

The tunnel consists of two railway tunnels and a separate service tunnel running beneath the English Channel.

Eurostar has confirmed that all of their trains will run as scheduled.

'An incident occurred several kilometres 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 statement read.

Before adding that although the last two trains running between Paris and London today were cancelled, this was due to engineering works, and not the collision. 

An FCDO spokesperson said: 'We are 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.'