Two trams collide in Strasbourg leaving dozens injured
Several people have been injured after two trams crashed in the French city of Strasbourg.
The emergency services rushed to Strasbourg station after two trams crashed this afternoon in the city in eastern France.
Around thirty people are feared injured, with five casualties reportedly in critical condition, according to the French outlet Actu17.
The police confirmed that tram traffic through the main station has been interrupted ‘following a tram accident.’
Footage shows chaos on the station platform, with a suspected injured person lying on the floor and smoke coming out of the tram wreckage.
The Bas-Rhin prefecture said that people ‘are involved’ in the accident and that ‘significant’ resources have been sent to the scene.
The authorities asked people to avoid Place des Halles, Gare and Boulevard du Président Wilson areas.
While the cause of the crash is not yet known, the two trams reportedly crashed on the same track at the Strasbourg central station at about 3.30pm local time.
The video shared on social media appears to show the tram doors jammed following the impact as people try to force them open as panic ensues.
People are seen supporting some of the injured who are in a ‘shock,’ one eyewitness says in a video posted on social media with screams heard in the background.
Another video shows the two trams along the platform, with both their front and rear smashed up.
Part of the station is believed to have been cordoned off, with four bus lines blocked from the central station, according to a live travel alert.
Strasbourg, located along the French-German border, is the biggest city in the region of Alsace.
It is home to major international and European governmental bodies such as the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, earning it the name the Capital of Europe.
