Minibus Hits Train at Channel Tunnel Terminal in France, 19 People Hurt

A minibus carrying lorry drivers hit a train at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles, northern France, on Thursday evening, October 15, 2026, injuring 19 people, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said. The driver was among the injured. The prefecture said none of the injuries was life threatening.

What happened at the platform

The minibus was carrying truck drivers who were preparing to board the Le Shuttle service, the prefecture said in a later statement reported by Reuters. It crashed into a train at a loading platform on the Eurotunnel site. The BBC reported that the train was a stationary freight train and that the bus was taking the drivers to a shuttle departure.

Local sub prefect Agathe Cury put the time of the collision at 7:27 p.m. local time, 17:27 GMT, the BBC said. Coquelles, near Calais, is the French terminal of the tunnel. Le Shuttle trains carry cars, coaches and lorries through the tunnel to Folkestone in England. Eurostar runs separate passenger trains on the same route.

Injuries and the response

Two people were badly hurt and taken away by helicopter, a local official told the BBC, while saying that no life appeared to be in danger. The prefecture said ambulances, a helicopter and police went to the scene on Thursday evening.

Officials did not name the injured. In its first report, Reuters said authorities had not yet given details of how the crash happened, beyond confirming that the driver was among those hurt. No cause has been announced.

Tunnel traffic kept moving

Cury said freight traffic and Eurostar passenger traffic through the tunnel had not been disrupted by the crash, apart from a brief stoppage while the injured were evacuated, the BBC reported. That will matter to hauliers and travelers who rely on the crossing, one of the main freight and passenger links between Britain and mainland Europe.

What happens next

Officials had not announced any change to Le Shuttle or Eurostar services for Friday as of Thursday night. The prefecture statements set out the response and the injuries, and left the cause open. How a minibus came to hit a train on a loading platform is a question for the work that follows. For now, the official record is short: a minibus, a train, 19 people hurt, two of them badly, and a tunnel that kept running.