A minibus carrying truck drivers crashed into a train at the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel on Thursday evening, injuring 19 people, French authorities said.

The collision occurred at the loading platform in Coquelles near Calais at 19:27 local time, as the minibus veered off course and struck the side of a departing shuttle train, according to the regional prefecture. Two people, including the minibus driver, were airlifted to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while 17 others sustained minor injuries. All those injured were men of multiple nationalities, and the relevant consulates were notified, local official Agathe Cury told reporters.

About 200 emergency responders were dispatched to the scene. Vehicle shuttle services through the tunnel were suspended for 90 minutes before gradually resuming by late evening, though Eurostar passenger and freight services remained unaffected, authorities said.

Cury stated the crash was the first of its kind at the loading area for trains that shuttle vehicles under the Channel. The cause remains unclear, and an investigation is underway. The tunnel, which opened in 1994, carried 3.4 million vehicles last year, along with millions of Eurostar passengers.