Hundreds stuck inside the Channel Tunnel after a shuttle train broke down – causing delays for Welsh Euro 2016 fans
The delays caused havoc for Welsh footy fans who were heading to France to cheer on there side as they face Belgium tonight
HUNDREDS of passengers were trapped inside the Channel Tunnel last night when a Eurotunnel shuttle train travelling to the UK from France broke down.
The service was evacuated following the stoppage in the middle of the shaft at around 5.30pm.
The delays caused havoc for Welsh footy fans who were heading to France to cheer on there side as they face Belgium tonight.
There were 350 passengers on board the train at the time, plus some dogs.
They were transferred into the service tunnel and then onto a rescue train sent down the passageway to take them to Folkestone.
The broken down train, carrying passengers and their cars, was then towed to Folkestone.
Some travellers complained about the hot conditions in the passageway.
Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe said a "technical incident" forced the train to stop mid-tunnel.
Were you caught up in the chaos? Tell us your story by emailing guy.birchall1@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
related stories
He said: "A compressor in the locomotive was faulty, and we had to stop the train for safety reasons.
"Technicians went out but couldn't repair it then and then.
"We transferred the passengers to another train and they were taken to Folkestone. We then sent in another train to tow the broken down shuttle to Folkestone."
Passenger Aggie Anim told BBC South East that after the train stopped "it was very hot, and we were all concerned about the oxygen".
She tweeted: "Stuck in under water Eurotunnel le shuttle... People are fine but a few dogs are v hot!"
By, 11.25pm all trains had arrived back in Kent, and Eurotunnel apologised for the delays.
The break down did cause some delays to other services however, promoting some complaints from customers.
@knilsenx said on Twitter: "I love getting stuck at Calais for an hour and 5 mins bc there's a broken down train in the channel tunnel ."
@GCraigyP said: "Three hour delay at the channel tunnel, not what you're needing."
Mr Keefe added: "It caused some delays to services, but we kept trains running int hr second tunnel throughout the night which kept disruption to a minimum.
"We apologise for the delays. But when there is a safety issue we thought it was best to evacuate everyone."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
