Two seriously injured after bus and train crash near Channel Tunnel
Nineteen people were injured, two seriously, when a bus collided with a departing train near the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel, though services are running normally.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A bus and a train collided near the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel, leaving 19 people injured. The crash happened about 10 kilometres, or six miles, from Calais in the Pas de Calais area, just before 7:30pm local time.
Authorities said the bus stayed upright. Reports described the vehicle as a minibus that was heading towards the tunnel entrance when it veered off course and hit the side of a departing train. Earlier accounts described a crash between a freight train and a bus, and said the bus had collided with a departing shuttle service. The bus driver was a Eurotunnel employee. The other 18 injured people were passengers.
Emergency services deployed 55 firefighters, police and ambulances. A helicopter took two patients to hospital in Lille. A judicial inquiry was launched to establish the cause of the crash, which was not yet known.
Officials first said five people had been seriously injured, but later revised that number down to two. No one was expected to have life-threatening injuries.
Eurostar and Eurotunnel trains were operating as expected after the incident. No delays were expected that evening or the following day.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| At least 19 people were injured in the incident, including a Eurotunnel employee driver and 18 passengers. | ||
| The number of serious injuries was revised down from five to two, and none were expected to be life-threatening. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| Eurostar and Eurotunnel services were reported to be running as expected with no delays that evening or the following day. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC's evening bulletin gave the crash detailed treatment, with a correspondent covering the location, casualty figures, emergency response and the judicial inquiry. It also stressed that Eurostar and Eurotunnel services were running normally, and it was the only outlet to report the revision in serious injuries and the driver's employment by Eurotunnel.
- “At least 19 people are injured some seriously following a crash between a freight train and a bus near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel”
- “the number of those who are seriously injured has been revised down from five? That's what authorities said. It's now two but no one is expected to have life-threatening Injuries.”
- “Eurostar trains and Eurotunnel trains this evening Operating as they expected so no delays this evening or tomorrow”
The lunchtime bulletin gave the crash a brief, straightforward mention at the end of its running order. It focused on the basic casualty toll and the reported cause, saying a minibus veered off course and hit a departing train. It did not cover the emergency response, the Eurotunnel driver, the judicial inquiry or the effect on cross-Channel services.
- “19 people have been injured after a collision between a bus and a train on the French side of the Channel Tunnel”
- “Authorities say the minibus was heading towards the tunnel entrance when it veered off course and hit the side of a departing train”
- “None of the injuries are said to be life-threatening”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.