“Light smoke” escaped from a train departing from the eastern French city of Strasbourg on Thursday, prompting the evacuation of passengers, including officials from the European Parliament.
The Bas-Rhin firefighters’ office says that around 20 firefighters were sent to the busy station at 2:45 local time. In addition, it stated that officials from European parliamentary bodies had reserved a section of the train. There were no reports of injuries, and the reason for the smoke was not immediately known.
In a post on the social media platform X, a Danish official in the Left group named Pelle Geertsen referred to the evacuation as “chaotic.” The train’s evacuation from Strasbourg to Brussels, both of which are home to the European Parliament, disrupted rail traffic in the region. According to a post on X, France’s national railway, SNCF, confirmed that the incident would affect trains traveling along the eastern line until Thursday evening. At approximately 4:50 p.m. local time, the train was scheduled to resume its journey and depart the station, according to SNCF.
Both Strasbourg, where its plenary sessions are held, and Brussels, where its administrative and committee headquarters are located, are where the European Parliament conducts its business.
