Passengers, including European Parliament officials, were evacuated from a train departing from Strasbourg in eastern France after “light smoke” was detected, local authorities reported on Thursday.
Approximately 20 firefighters responded to the incident at the busy station at 2:45 p.m. local time, as confirmed by the Bas-Rhin firefighters’ office. It was noted that a specific section of the train had been reserved for European parliamentary officials. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the cause of the smoke was not immediately determined.
Pelle Geertsen, a Danish official in the Left group, described the evacuation as “chaotic” in a post on the social media platform X.
The evacuation of the train from Strasbourg to Brussels, both cities hosting the European Parliament, resulted in disruptions to rail traffic in the region. SNCF, France’s national railway, announced that the incident would impact trains along the eastern line until Thursday evening.
By 4:50 p.m. local time, SNCF stated that the train was scheduled to resume its journey and depart from the station.
The European Parliament operates in both Strasbourg and Brussels, with Strasbourg hosting its plenary sessions and Brussels serving as its administrative and committee headquarters.
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