Channel Tunnel: 19 injured in the collision of a minibus with a shuttle in Coquelles

The collision occurred on a dock at the French terminal, not in the underwater part of the tunnel. Thursday, 15 October 2026, at 7.27 p.m., a minibus carrying heavy-duty drivers struck a LeShuttle railway shuttle in Coquelles, near Calais. Nineteen people were injured, including the driver. TF1 Info, RTS and 20 Minutes report the same accident; The detailed reports issued after the first alerts indicate two injured persons requiring urgent evacuation to Lille. [S2] [S3] [S7]

A collision on the loading dock

According to the Calais sub-prefect, Agathe Cury, two shuttles were on both sides of the wharf: one being loaded with heavy goods vehicles, the other already loaded and ready for departure. The minibus hit this second train, described as stopping in several reports. Therefore, the expression "at departure" does not conclude that the train was driving at the time of the impact. [S2] [S3]

The vehicle remained standing. This point, expressly specified by the sub-prefect and also reported by La Voix du Nord, contradicts the first descriptions evoking a reversal on the rails. The established circumstances are those of a minibus that hit a train, without overturning. [S2] [S20] [S29]

A detail of the passenger journey remains divergent in the accounts available. The first prefectural statements, taken from TF1 Info and RTS, evoke drivers preparing to embark to England. In an update of Blick, Jérôme Studer, operating manager at Getlink, explains on the contrary that they had just made the crossing and joined their trucks from the car reserved for drivers. This difference does not concern the location or the balance sheet of the accident, but prevents them from presenting their journey as definitively established. [S2] [S3] [S11]

Two injured in emergency in Lille

The 19 wounded were the occupants of the minibus. Two were carried to Lille; The remaining 17 hospitals were distributed among the surrounding hospitals. At his press briefing on Thursday evening, Agathe Cury said that no life-saving prognosis was committed. The driver of the Eurotunnel minibus is one of the victims. [S2] [S3]

The first reports referred to four or five persons in absolute emergency, compared with two in subsequent reports. These are successive evaluations of the same accident, not additional victims. In his Friday morning report, TF1 states that the condition of the two most heavily injured persons is stable. [S27] [S19] [S7] [S1]

The Voice of the North also reports the evacuation of eighteen people present in the railway shuttle, taken over by Eurotunnel: they constitute a separate group from the wounded occupants of the minibus. A medical-psychological emergency cell has been set up for the persons concerned. As the victims were of several nationalities, their consulates were informed. [S29] [S15] [S3]

A limited interruption, not a general tunnel closure

LeShuttle's passenger traffic was interrupted for about an hour and a half to allow emergency response and evacuation. According to the sub-prefect, Eurostar traffic and freight traffic were not affected. The accident on the terminal therefore did not result in the shutdown of all trans-ship links. [S15] [S29]

Eurostar confirms in its service information that none of its trains is involved and that its traffic from and to London is maintained. This distinction is important for passengers: shuttles carrying vehicles and Eurostar passenger trains do not constitute the same service. [S30] [S2]

Responsibilities still to be determined

The prosecutor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Cécile Gressier, confirmed the opening of an investigation for involuntary injuries. Getlink is also conducting an internal investigation, according to Blick's statements. He presents the driver as experienced and employed for several years; However, this assessment does not explain the collision or determine the responsibilities. [S2] [S11]

BFMTV reports, from a judicial source, that the driver must be subjected to the usual tests, without communicating the results. These checks show no fault. At this stage, the information available does not allow the accident to be attributed either to an individual error or to a technical failure or to the organisation of the terminal. For the injured as well as for the driver, the issue of the investigation remains to establish the facts before appointing an official. [S15] [S2]