Eurostar rejected yesterday claims it breached safety rules when evacuating passengers from cross-Channel trains that broke down last weekend, as a row erupted with Eurotunnel over the controversy.
Eurotunnel on Friday accused Eurostar staff of failing to follow safety rules when removing people from the high-speed trains that broke down in the tunnel between Britain and France, sparking passenger confusion and anger.
Eurostar hit back yesterday, saying passenger safety was not compromised “at any time,” adding that an independent review into the Dec. 18 incident would “establish the truth once and for all.”
“Whilst the circumstances in the trains delayed in the tunnel were obviously uncomfortable and distressing, passengers’ safety was not compromised at any time,” it said in a statement.
“We are concerned that Eurotunnel has misunderstood the nature of the independent review which has the backing of both the British and French governments ... and will establish the truth once and for all,” it said.
“In our view they should allow the panel of experts to get on with the review and let the facts speak for themselves,” it said.
Eurotunnel, the tunnel operator, on Friday strongly rejected claims that it contributed to the chaos when 2,000 passengers were trapped for a night in five trains.
Some passengers spent 17 hours trapped in the tunnel when their trains broke down, because of short circuits caused by snow filtering into the engine compartments and melting once the trains entered the tunnel.
“We have, here and there, been unjustly suspected of not acting as we should have done” after the breakdown, Eurotunnel said in a statement.
Eurotunnel said the time it took to evacuate the passengers “was unfortunately extended because the Eurostar teams, in complete violation of the safety procedures, asked passengers to take their bags with them.”
It also criticised Eurostar’s communications with passengers.
“Although in continued contact with our teams, it is clear that the Eurostar teams obviously did not give the right information to passengers,” it said.
It said that this had “led to a movement of worry” in the affected trains where the passengers had no food or water.
Eurostar has admitted a communications failure and promised refunds to passengers but also laid some blame on Eurotunnel which it said was responsible for evacuating trains and relaying information to passengers in the tunnel.
Eurotunnel defended its workers’ efforts during the crisis.
“The evidence shows that Eurotunnel was not the cause of the breakdowns and not responsible for Eurostar’s customer relations ... our teams worked quickly and professionally outside of their normal roles,” it said.
India and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust and positivity,” Modi said. Carney’s visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi
Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples might become tight, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. The Israeli military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US. Israeli authorities late on Monday night said that they would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza yesterday, for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” into the strip, without saying how much. Israeli authorities previously said the crossings could not be operated safely during
Counting was under way in Nepal yesterday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election to reshape the country’s leadership following protests last year that toppled the government. Key figures vying for power include former Nepalese prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah, who is bidding for the youth vote, and newly elected Nepali Congress party leader Gagan Thapa. In Kathmandu’s tea shops and city squares, people were glued to their phones, checking results as early trends flashed up — suggesting Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was ahead. Nepalese Election Commission spokesman Prakash Nyupane said the counting was ongoing “in a peaceful manner”
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
RSS