Minibus hits stationary train at Eurotunnel entrance in Pas-de-Calais, injuring 19

Mixed · 2At least 19 people were injured on Thursday evening, 15 October 2026, when a minibus and a freight train collided at the Eurotunnel site in Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near the entrance of the tunnel linking France and Britain; later reports say the minibus struck a stationary train at about 19:27 local time. 1 2 Right · 1The local prefecture said none of the injuries were life-threatening, and that ambulances, a helicopter and police were at the scene. 3 Left · 1A Pas-de-Calais prefect statement described an accident involving a minibus carrying heavy goods vehicle drivers who were about to board a Le Shuttle, at the loading platform of the Eurotunnel site; it said 19 people were involved including the driver, with no deaths and no lives in danger. 4

Centre · 3The BBC, CNA (AFP-based) and Deutsche Welle describe a minibus colliding with a stationary train; Metro and GB News had said the minibus flipped onto the tracks and was struck by a freight train, and Metro's wording had a train ploughing into the minibus. 5 6 7 Centre · 2After the press briefing first scheduled for 10:15 pm, the Calais sub-prefect Agathe Cury said the driver and 18 passengers were injured, all men of different nationalities, and that two people were severely injured and airlifted; the prefect's statement as relayed by AFP/CNA, the Guardian and DW put the number severely injured at five. 1 5 Centre · 1Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutors opened an investigation on suspicion of unintentional injury, and Cury said freight traffic was not disrupted while Getlink passenger shuttles were suspended for about an hour before normal traffic resumed. 5

Mixed · 2The Associated Press, carried by ABC News, cited the prefecture as saying the minibus veered off course and struck the side of the shuttle train, put the serious injuries at two (not life-threatening) and the other 17 as minor, and reported the vehicle shuttle service was suspended for 90 minutes; AFP, carried by the South China Morning Post, gave five severely injured and a suspension of an hour. 8 9 Left · 1AP reported that about 200 emergency responders were sent, that consulates of the injured men's various nationalities were notified, and that Cury said it was the first crash at the loading area for the vehicle shuttles; the cause was unclear and an investigation was underway. 8 Centre · 1France 24 reported, citing the prefecture, that the minibus was heading towards the tunnel entrance when it veered off course and struck the side of the shuttle train, that two people were hospitalised with serious but non-life-threatening injuries and 17 had minor injuries, and that Eurostar passenger and freight services were unaffected; it added that the tunnel, opened in 1994, carried 3.4 million vehicles last year. 10

Right · 1IJR, a lean-right US outlet, headlined that a train struck an overturned minibus, citing a La Voix du Nord photograph of the damaged vehicle, and said two Eurostar London-Paris departures were cancelled that evening despite Eurostar's statement that its services were unaffected; it said the cause of the overturning had not been detailed. 11 Centre · 1BNO News, citing local officials, said a photo from the scene showed extensive damage to the front of the minibus and that the cause had not been released. 12 Left · 2Metro's opening line said people were "fighting for life", which conflicts with the prefecture's statement, relayed by the Guardian, BBC, CNA and others, that no one's life was in danger. 7 13

Mixed · 2The Daily Mirror named the emergency services at the site as the SAMU medical service, an SMUR helicopter and the SDIS fire service, and reported a St Pancras to Paris Eurostar was cancelled. GB News said Eurostar traffic was suspended in both directions. 14 15 Mixed · 2Eurostar said the incident happened several kilometres from the tunnel, involved no Eurostar train and did not affect its London services, although CNA and DW earlier listed two Eurostar trains as cancelled and GB News said Eurostar traffic was suspended in both directions. 13 6