Channel Tunnel Service Disrupted by Fire
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Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images(LONDON) — All passenger and freight train service between France and Britain was disrupted on Saturday, due to a fire on a freight train in the tunnel beneath the English Channel.
Eurostar and Eurotunnel, which run services through the Channel Tunnel, cancelled all trains on Saturday.
Some passengers said they were evacuated from trains in the tunnel and given gas masks, the BBC reports.
“We crawled through the tunnel and were told that it was some type of technical difficulties with the train in front of us,” Kristin Davis told the BBC as she was attempting to travel to France.
Officials say the smoke was caused by a fire on a freight train near the French end of the tunnel, but the incident rattled nerves, as France recovers from deadly terror attacks and Europe remains on edge.
Eurotunnel, which runs vehicle and freight shuttles through the tunnel, said an inspection was under way and that it anticipated resuming services late on Saturday.
We confirm that the earlier fire on a Freight train in the Tunnel was quickly brought under control by the emergency services 1/2 ^LD
— Eurotunnel LeShuttle (@LeShuttle) January 17, 2015
A Tunnel inspection is currently underway and we anticipate that we will be resuming services this evening. Further info to follow ^LD
— Eurotunnel LeShuttle (@LeShuttle) January 17, 2015
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