19 HURT AS BUS AND TRAIN COLLIDE IN CHANNEL TUNNEL

A collision between a minibus and a train has injured 19 people on the French side of the Channel Tunnel, according to the Pas-de-Calais prefecture. The prefecture said the minibus was carrying heavy goods vehicle drivers who were about to board a Le Shuttle service when the collision happened at the loading platform of the Eurotunnel site in Coquelles. Officials said the coach driver was among those hurt. The prefecture said initial reports indicated no deaths and that no lives were in danger, though it did not immediately say whether any injuries were serious. Authorities had not released further details on how the collision occurred, the identities of those injured, or the full nature of their injuries.

The collision took place near the entrance to the freight tunnel linking France to Britain. The prefecture said Eurotunnel mobilised significant resources immediately after the collision, which then came under the authority of the Pas-de-Calais prefect. The sub-prefect of Calais travelled to the site to oversee the response, according to the prefecture's statement. The Channel Tunnel is used by Le Shuttle services to carry lorries, heavy goods vehicle drivers and their vehicles between the two countries.

The prefecture said an initial update on the situation would be given at a press briefing scheduled for 10:15pm. Further details on the cause of the collision and the condition of those injured were expected to follow. No information had yet been released on whether the collision caused wider disruption to Channel Tunnel services.