A bus hit a stationary freight train near the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel on Thursday, injuring the driver and 18 passengers, French authorities said.

The bus was carrying lorry drivers who were due to board the Le Shuttle rail service. It struck the train at the loading platform of the tunnel in Coquelles, near Calais, at 19:27 local time (18:27 BST).

Injuries and evacuation

The bus driver and one passenger were seriously injured and were evacuated by helicopter. A local official said none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Local sub-prefect Agathe Cury said freight and Eurostar passenger traffic through the tunnel was not disrupted after a brief stoppage to evacuate the injured. An investigation has begun.

Official account

"Two trains were on either side of the platform. One was being loaded by heavy goods vehicles ahead of a cross-Channel journey, and another train that had previously been loaded was departing," Cury said.

"For a reason that currently remains unknown, the minibus collided with the departing train.

"The bus did not overturn, it is still upright, but the shock and the collision caused injuries to the people involved."

The bus was carrying workers who were about to board Le Shuttle. Cury said all of them were men of different nationalities.

It is not clear whether any British nationals were among the injured.

Cury said it was "the first time an incident of this type has occurred" on a Eurotunnel loading platform.

Scene and rail operator response

BBC correspondent Evan Davis, who was travelling through the Eurotunnel to Calais at the time, saw blue light vehicles "concentrated on one of the platforms" as he entered France.

Speaking from the scene, he said: "There were plenty of cars queueing up at check-in when I drove past just now, and I saw some cars going through check-in, so despite the collision they weren't being held."

Photos published by the French newspaper La Voix du Nord showed a small bus with damage to its front and side, standing alongside a train, surrounded by emergency workers.

Eurostar said in an update: "An incident occurred several kilometres away from the Channel Tunnel. This incident does not involve or impact Eurostar trains running from and to London. All Eurostar trains will run as expected."

About the tunnel

The Eurotunnel runs under the sea between England and France, from Folkestone in Kent to Coquelles on the French side. Three rail services operate through it: Eurostar, a passenger service that runs from London to several European destinations; freight trains that carry goods; and Le Shuttle, which carries vehicles.