Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Undersea Tunnel In Europe Shut Down After Fire; No Injuries

Eurostar's Siemens e320 train is seen at St. Pancras station in central London, in November. The passenger train plies the Channel Tunnel connecting London and Paris.
Andrew Winning
/
Reuters/Landov
Eurostar's Siemens e320 train is seen at St. Pancras station in central London, in November. The passenger train plies the Channel Tunnel connecting London and Paris.

The undersea train tunnel that connects England and France has been closed until further notice after a fire broke out on a truck that was being transported through the Channel Tunnel, triggering an alarm and suspending all passenger and freight service.

There were no reports of injuries.

"Rail passengers are advised to expect significant delays whilst the vehicle is being recovered and fumes are cleared from the tunnels," the police said in an emailed statement reported by Reuters.

According to Reuters:

"A Calais-Dover shuttle train without incident due to the smoke.

"Eurostar, which operates train services through the tunnel between Paris, London and Brussels, said on Twitter that no trains would be running on Saturday following the closure and that all trains en route would return to their original stations."

The BBC quotes a police spokesman in Kent as saying the fire had led to the closure of both tunnels and that there were currently no trains in either. The truck is being recovered, the spokesman said.

"Rail passengers are advised to expect significant delays whilst the vehicle is being recovered and fumes are cleared from the tunnels," the spokesman said.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.