At least 30 people were injured after two trams collided at Strasbourg’s main station on Saturday, authorities said.
Videos and photos posted on social media show two trams carrying dozens of people. One shot shows smoke billowing and chaotic scenes as the alarm sounds.
Local media reported that the accident occurred after one of the trams changed tracks and collided with a stationary tram. Other reports say that one tram was backing up at the time.
A spokesman for the prefecture said the investigation into the cause of the accident was open and there were no fatalities.
Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian told reporters at the scene of the accident that there had been a collision involving a tram, but the cause was unknown.
According to BFM TV, Barseghian urged people to wait for the results of the investigation.
An eyewitness named Johan told the AFP news agency that he saw one of the trams moving backwards quickly, adding: “We heard a big bang, a big bang.”
Another eyewitness told BFM TV that the door of the tram flew off on impact.
The paper reported that a large security perimeter had been set up in front of the station.
The fire and rescue service of the Bas-Rhin region posted on X urging people to avoid the area to allow emergency services access to the area.
Service director Rene Cellier said some of the non-fatal injuries reported were “mainly trauma” but also included scalp wounds, broken collarbones and sprained knees
“There are also about 100 people who have no particular injuries but have been examined by a doctor,” Cellier said.
He added that around 50 vehicles and 130 firefighters were sent to the field and that the situation “could have been much more serious”.
Emmanuel Auneau, director of CTS – which is responsible for managing public transport in Strasbourg – said the two tram drivers were “not physically injured but very shocked”.
