In brief
The 19 people hurt include the minibus driver and 18 passengers, all truck drivers heading to board a LeShuttle service. Five were reported seriously injured, and the prefecture said no injury was life-threatening.
Subprefect Agathe Cury said the minibus hit the departing train for a reason that remains unknown. French authorities are investigating, and a judicial inquiry has been opened.
Cury said this was the first time an accident of this type had occurred on a loading platform, and the relevant consulates were informed of the foreign nationals involved.
Traffic was stopped for the evacuation and resumed soon after. Eurostar said its services to and from London were not affected and would run to timetable.
- 1996Fire aboard a freight shuttle carrying trucks halts traffic for months; no deaths
- September 2008Lorry on a freight train catches fire; normal traffic returns only in February 2009
- Night of 26-27 March 2011Maintenance vehicle with failed brakes hits a convoy of workers; three seriously injured
- 15 OctMinibus carrying truck drivers collides with a train at the Coquelles loading platform; 19 injured
What happened
On Thursday evening, 15 October 2026, a minibus carrying truck drivers collided with a train at the loading platform of the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles, near Calais in northern France. The drivers were heading to board a LeShuttle service through the Channel Tunnel. The Pas-de-Calais prefecture said 19 people were involved, including the minibus driver and 18 passengers. Reports say five of the injured were seriously hurt, while the prefecture said none of the injuries were life-threatening and reported no fatalities. The minibus did not overturn and remained upright after the impact.
How the crash unfolded
Subprefect Agathe Cury, who attended the scene, described two trains on either side of the platform. One was being loaded with heavy goods vehicles ahead of a cross-Channel journey, while the other, already loaded, was pulling away. Reports disagree on what the departing train was, with some describing a LeShuttle and others a freight train. French authorities are investigating the cause, and a judicial inquiry has been opened to establish the circumstances.
“For a reason that currently remains unknown, the minibus collided with the departing train.”
Injuries and response
Cury said two of the injured were taken to the university hospital in Lille for specialist care, while the others went to hospitals in Boulogne, Dunkirk and Rang-du-Fliers for check-ups. Ambulances, a helicopter and police attended the scene. Cury said the injured were of several nationalities and that the relevant consulates had been informed, though it was unclear whether any British nationals were among them. Traffic through the tunnel was briefly halted for the evacuation and resumed soon after, according to later reports. Eurostar said in a statement that its trains to and from London were not affected and would run to timetable.
“It is the first time an accident on a loading platform of this type has occurred.”
Earlier incidents
The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994 and carries on average about 45 passenger trains and five freight trains a day, along with nearly 5,000 trucks, according to 20minutes. Before this crash, the last incident with injuries was more than 15 years earlier. On the night of 26-27 March 2011, a maintenance vehicle with failed brakes rolled down the tunnel slope and struck a convoy of workers parked further down, seriously injuring three people and leaving one worker with an amputation. In September 2008, a lorry on a freight train caught fire more than ten kilometres from the French entrance, causing light poisoning in about ten people, and normal traffic only returned in February 2009. A 1996 fire aboard a freight shuttle carrying trucks caused no deaths but halted traffic for months and sparked a debate on safety. Ten workers died during the tunnel's construction.