Services through the tunnel were suspended in both directions. Photo credit: Gary Perkin/Shutterstock
A journey across the Channel has turned into a nightmare this Thursday evening when a minibus carrying lorry drivers was overturned at the entrance of the underground after colliding with a stationary freight train in France, leaving 19 people injured. Several were reported to be in critical condition as emergency crews rushed to the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles, near Calais, to help those caught up in the collision.
The crash happened at around 8;00pm on the French side of the Channel Tunnel, where lorry drivers board LeShuttle trains to travel between France and UK. The minibus was carrying drivers whose lorries were due to make the crossing by train, according to local media.
Several in critical condition
The first reports gave conflicting figures for the most seriously injured. French broadcaster TF1, citing the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, has reported five people in critical condition, however current updates, at around 10.15pm, from other sources puts critically injured to two with both men are airlifted to Lille by emergency medical teams from the SAMU services covering Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Four other injured people have been taken to hospital in Calais, three in Boulogne-sur-Mer and one in Montreuil. Nine people are still being examined at the scene in the latest report.
The prefecture confirmed that 19 people were involved in total, including the minibus driver. Despite the severity of the injuries, authorities said no lives are in danger. No deaths had been reported in the initial official assessment and the precise circumstances leading to the collision have not yet been established.
🚨 Accident sur le site d’Eurotunnel à Coquelles
Un accident impliquant un minibus transportant des chauffeurs poids lourds en partance à bord d’une navette Le Shuttle s’est produit ce soir, au niveau du quai de chargement du site d’Eurotunnel.
D’importants moyens ont été mobilisés immédiatement par Eurotunnel, puis sous l’autorité du préfet du Pas-de-Calais.
Le premier bilan fait état de 19 personnes impliquées, conducteur compris. Aucun décès n’est à déplorer à ce stade et aucun pronostic vital n’est engagé.
La sous-préfète de Calais est actuellement sur place. Un premier point de situation sera communiqué lors d’un point presse prévu à 22 h 15.
— Préfet Pas-de-Calais 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@Prefet62) October 15, 2026
Emergency services sent to the scene
Around 55 firefighters and 25 emergency medical personnel are involved in the response, alongside approximately 20 officers from the French border police, the Police aux frontières (PAF). Around 100 Eurotunnel staff also attend. According to French regional newspaper La Voix du Nord, this is the first accident of this scale on the tunnel’s loading platform.
Eurotunnel initially mobilised resources before the response came under the authority of the Pas-de-Calais prefecture. The incident involved drivers travelling separately from their lorries, which are carried through the tunnel on dedicated freight services.
Eurotunnel traffic resumes after 90-minute interruption
Passenger traffic through the Channel Tunnel was interrupted for around an hour and a half following the collision but had resumed by the time of the latest local report. Freight train traffic continued throughout. Eurostar services were not affected. The company confirmed that the accident happened several kilometres from the tunnel itself and did not involve any of its trains. Services to and from London were expected to operate as planned.
LeShuttle and Eurostar are separate services. LeShuttle transports cars, coaches and lorries between Coquelles in France and Folkestone in Kent, while Eurostar carries passengers between London and destinations on mainland Europe. Reports of cancellations affecting the final London–Paris services on Thursday night related to planned engineering works, rather than the crash.
What caused the accident?
Authorities have not yet confirmed why or how the minibus overturned or provided a full account of how it came collide with the train. The investigation is ongoing, and the initial reports do not establish whether a mechanical problem, human error or another factor contributed to the collision. The immediate focus remains on those injured and on establishing exactly what happened at the terminal. Further details may emerge as authorities continue their investigation.