One of the two Strasbourg trams that collided leaving dozens injured and five people ‘fighting for their lives’ is said to have reversed at full speed during the horror crash.
Around 50 people are believed to have been injured at the scene at Gare Centrale station in the French city, as emergency crews are in attendance.
Johan, a witness who declined to give his last name, said that one of the trams reversed at full speed.
‘There was a problem with the brakes,’ he told AFP. ‘We heard a big impact, a big bang.’
The two drivers were not injured, ‘but are very shocked’, said CTS director Emmanuel Auneau.
The crash is thought to have occurred after one of the trams switched tracks and collided with a stationary tram in a tunnel at Strasbourg’s Gare Centrale station, local media reported.
However Mayor Jeanne Barseghian said the accident may have been caused by a reversing tram, and described the incident as a ‘brutal collision’.
‘What we know at this stage is that there was a brutal collision between two trams, on the platform, under the station,’ said Barseghian.
At least five people are said to be fighting for their lives and dozens more were injured when two trams collided in Strasbourg on Saturday
Around 20 people are believed to have been injured
A firefighter is assisted by police officers to transport an injured person on a strechter outside the Strasbourg railway station following a collision of two trams, in Strasbourg, eastern France, on January 11, 2025
‘There were a number of people on the trams,’ she said, adding that there were no fatalities or people in ‘absolute urgency’.
Some of the injured were in a state of shock as a result of the ‘head-on’ impact which was ‘relatively violent’, the mayor added, expressing her support.
Patrick Maciejewski, chairman of the board of directors of the Strasbourg transport company (CTS), said that there had been demonstrations in central Strasbourg, which had disrupted tram traffic.
‘A number of trams had to be reorganised and put on standby. There was a traffic jam,’ he said.
‘We don’t know why the train was stopped, but it started to move backwards.’
Rene Cellier, director of the Bas-Rhin fire and rescue service, said around 50 people had suffered non-fatal injuries such as scalp wounds, clavicle fractures, and knee sprains. ‘Mostly trauma,’ said Cellier.
‘There are also around 100 people who have no particular injuries but are being seen by the doctors,’ he added.
Cellier said around 50 vehicles and 130 firefighters were on site, adding that the situation ‘could have been much more serious’.
A clip shows the two trams with their front and rear sides smashed up
A large security perimeter has been set up in front of the station, where numerous ambulances have taken up position
A firefighter carries an injured person on a stretcher outside the Strasbourg railway station following a collision of two trams
Footage shared on social media shows chaotic scenes inside the train station as emergency services rush to help those injured
Clip shows the inside of a tram following the major collision today
A spokesman for the station said that the exact cause of the accident had not yet been established, but is currently being investigated.
A video posted by a witness on social media showed a chaotic scene with the two trams significantly damaged in a tunnel near the station.
‘The public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation,’ the prefecture said.
A large security perimeter was set up in front of the station, where ambulances have taken up position, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
Paramedics and firefighters were loading injured people secured on stretchers into ambulances. Other victims were receiving first aid under the station’s glass roof.
A large security perimeter has been set up in front of the station, where numerous ambulances have taken up position.
Footage shared on social media shows the aftermath of the terrifying crash.
Amid the chaotic scenes, injured people can be seen lying on the ground, while others rush to help those inside the trains.
In another clip, smoke can be seen billowing from the tunnel, as alarms can be hear blaring in the background of the busy station.
A separate video shows the two trams on the platform with both their front and rear ends smashed in.
Other images posted on social media show a derailed tram.
Strasbourg was the first major French city to put a tram network back into service, starting in 1994.
The city saw something similar in 1998 when one tramway collided with another in the same tunnel, wounding 17 people.
Located in the historic region of Alsace, the city is the official seat of the European Parliament.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
