At least 30 people were injured when two trams collided at Strasbourg Central Station on Saturday, authorities said.
Videos and photos posted on social media showed two trams with dozens of people on them. One video shows a chaotic scene with smoke rising and an alarm sound.
Local media reported that the accident occurred after one of the trams changed tracks and collided with a stationary tram. Other reports said a tram was reversing at the time.
A spokesman for the county said an investigation into the cause of the accident had begun and no deaths had been confirmed.
Strasbourg mayor Jeanne Barseghian told reporters at the scene that there had been a collision involving a tram, but the cause was unknown.
According to BFM TV, Barseghian urged people to wait for the results of the investigation.
An eyewitness named Johan told AFP he saw a tram reversing at high speed, adding: “We heard a big impact, a big bang.”
Another witness told BFM TV that the tram’s doors were blown off by the impact.
The media reported that a large security perimeter was set up in front of the station.
The Bas-Rhin region’s fire and rescue service posted at X urging people to avoid the area to allow emergency services to access the area.
Service chief Rene Cellier said some of the non-fatal injuries reported were “mostly traumatic” but also included scalp wounds, collarbone fractures and knee sprains.
“There are about 100 people who have no specific injuries but are being treated by doctors,” Cellier said.
About 50 vehicles and 130 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, he said, adding that the situation “could have been much more serious”.
Emmanuel Auno, director of the CTS, which manages public transport in Strasbourg, said the two tram drivers were “not physically injured but very shocked.”
