The number of injuries from a tram collision in Strasbourg has risen to 68, following a rare accident that caused panic near the eastern French city’s main train station, authorities said on Sunday.
On Saturday afternoon, a stationary tram at the underground stop of Strasbourg’s main railway station was violently struck by another tram, which began moving backwards for unknown reasons.
The moving tram, which had stopped earlier due to traffic congestion, reversed and rolled down a slope leading to the station.
Both trams carried dozens of passengers.
As a result of the collision, 68 people were injured, according to the prefecture, which updated the toll on Sunday. Approximately 100 passengers escaped unscathed.
The incident occurred near Strasbourg’s main train station, one of France’s busiest outside Paris.
Video footage posted online showed chaotic scenes, with both trams heavily damaged, alarms blaring, and passengers screaming.
“The tram started moving again at full speed towards the station,” said passenger Romaric Koumba.
“As we approached the station, we realised another tram was already stationary there. Thankfully, it wasn’t in motion,” Koumba added.
“When the collision happened, the tram doors flew off,” he said.
Another witness, Johan Kirschenbaum, suggested a brake failure on the moving tram.
“We heard a massive impact, a loud bang,” he said.
Drivers Left ‘Very Shocked’
On Saturday, Rene Cellier, director of the Bas-Rhin fire and rescue service, stated that around 50 people sustained non-fatal injuries, including scalp wounds, clavicle fractures, and knee sprains.
“Most injuries were trauma-related,” Cellier said, adding that the situation “could have been much worse.”
The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into “unintentional injuries” to determine the cause of the accident and any potential criminal liability. Prosecutors confirmed that the collision was not deliberate.
“An initial investigation has ruled out any intentional act,” said Alexandre Chevrier, the acting public prosecutor.
The two drivers were unharmed but were left “very shocked,” according to Emmanuel Auneau, director of Strasbourg’s transport company (CTS). Tram services at the station have been suspended for several days.
Julien Joly, a transport and mobility expert at Wavestone, described tram collisions as rare.
“The accident occurred at the worst possible location on the network—in a tunnel within a densely populated area,” Joly said, though he reassured commuters that trams remain “a safe mode of transport.”
Strasbourg, which reintroduced trams in 1994 after discontinuing them in 1960, witnessed a similar accident in 1998 when one tram collided with another in the same tunnel, injuring 17 people.
Located in Alsace, a historic region bordering Germany and Switzerland, Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament.
AFP