In Coquelles, a minibus hits a shuttle at a stop: 19 injured at the Channel Tunnel terminal

A minibus hit a train station at the stop Thursday 15 October 2026, around 7.30 p.m., on the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles, near Calais. In the evening, 19 people were injured, including the driver and 18 passengers. According to the prefecture of Pas-de-Calais and the sub-prefect of Calais, Agathe Cury, no deaths are to be deplored and no vital prognosis is committed. [S1] [S6] [S8]

A collision on the loading dock

The minibus was carrying heavy-duty drivers who were about to board a LeShuttle railway shuttle. The accident occurred on the vehicle loading dock, on the French side, not in the underwater part of the tunnel. Franceinfo, RTS and BFMTV converge on this location and on the immobilization of the hit train. [S1] [S6] [S14]

During her press briefing, the sub-prefect described two shuttles on both sides of the wharf: one was being loaded, the other had been loaded and was preparing to leave. According to his account taken by the RTS, the minibus hit this second shuttle, for a reason still unknown. BFMTV refers to a shuttle being loaded. This difference in description does not allow for further specification of the collision sequence. [S1] [S14]

Initial reports also included a spilled vehicle and a moving train. But Agathe Cury expressly stated that the minibus had not turned around. This official account, reported by RTS and BFMTV after the press briefing, corrects the initial descriptions of the accident. [S1] [S7] [S14] [S22]

Two people transported in emergency in Lille

The total number of injured persons must be distinguished from their medical classification. A first assessment relayed by franceinfo and Blick mentioned five people in absolute urgency. The end-of-night check-up reported by 20 Minutes takes two minutes, transported to Lille hospital. The absence of a committed life-saving prognosis announced by the authorities therefore does not mean that all injuries were mild. [S4] [S6] [S10]

According to the sub-prefect, the remaining 17 injured were sent to nearby hospital centres. As the affected persons were of different nationalities, their consulates were informed. The driver of the minibus, himself injured, is a Eurotunnel agent. [S1] [S6]

The intervention involved 55 firefighters, medical teams, a SMUR helicopter and border police, as well as about 100 Eurotunnel officers. A medical-psychological aid cell has also been set up for the persons concerned. Beyond evacuations, this support is part of the management measures announced after the shock. [S8] [S10] [S14]

LeShuttle suspended, Eurostar untouched

The LeShuttle passenger traffic was interrupted for about an hour and a half to allow emergency response. At the press briefing held around 10:30 p.m., the sub-prefect announced the return to normal. The freight trains operating in the tunnel were not interrupted, according to the authorities: the suspension therefore did not concern all the trans-manche routes. [S5] [S14] [S16]

Eurostar states in its communiqué that none of its trains was involved and that the incident did not affect its traffic from and to London. This operator statement is consistent with the information reported by RTS and BFMTV. [S1] [S14] [S23]

Responsibilities still to be established

An investigation for involuntary injuries was opened, said the prosecutor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Cécile Gressier. The cause of the shock remains unknown. The fact that the driver is an employee of Eurotunnel does not in itself make it possible to conclude that the terminal has failed to function in an individual way. The evidence made public does not resolve any of these issues. [S1] [S14]

BFMTV reports, from a judicial source, that the driver must be subjected to the usual screening without publishing any results. These checks are not evidence of misconduct. For both the injured and the driver, the issue of the investigation is to determine the circumstances and possible responsibilities, without turning the first assumptions into conclusions. [S14]