-Strasbourg, in eastern France, saw a rare catastrophe on Saturday when two trams crashed in a tunnel, hurting dozens of passengers, according to police.
The main train station in Strasbourg, one of the busiest in France outside of Paris, was close to where the crash happened.
According to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, the accident injured “probably around 36” individuals, however firefighters estimated that number to be closer to 50.
In a tunnel close to the station, two trams were badly damaged in a chaotic scene captured on camera by a witness and shared on social media.
One of the trams appeared to have derailed as a result of the impact, whose cause has yet to be established.
“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 took up position, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
Firefighters and paramedics loaded injured individuals who were restrained on stretchers onto ambulances. First aid was administered to other casualties beneath the glass roof of the station.
After the tram service was discontinued in 1960, Strasbourg became the first significant French city to reintroduce it in 1994.
There haven’t been any significant accidents since the cars were returned.
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