Burning truck paralyzes Eurotunnel

Burning LKV in the Eurotunnel: those affected receive gas masks

01/18/2015

The Eurotunnel between France and England runs under the Channel 40 meters below the sea floor. A burning truck has stopped traffic in both tubes on Saturday. CO2 detectors had detected smoke, those affected received gas masks. High CO2 concentrations pose health risks.

All rail traffic in the Eurotunnel paralyzed
A burning truck has brought the train traffic in the tunnel under the English Channel to stop the entire train traffic. As the news agency dpa reports, the train operating company Eurostar announced on Saturday that all trains had been ordered back to their home stations after CO2 detectors detected smoke. In London, Paris and Brussels several hundred travelers waited in vain for their trains. In the British media, those affected reported being taken out of trains and equipped with gas masks. „We were taken to a concrete bunker“, one of the passengers explained.

No reports of injuries
„A fire on a truck has led to the closure of both tunnels“, such a spokesman for the police in the British county of Kent. There are no reports of injuries. The incident took place near the French coast. Passengers would have to adjust to long waiting times, because before the restarting the defective vehicle eliminated and the smoke must be routed out of the tunnel. The incident occurred in the tube, where trucks have their own freight trains.

Harmful effect of CO2
A high CO2 concentration can be dangerous for humans. The harmful effect of CO2 lies primarily in the displacement of oxygen. Outdoors, the CO2 concentration is about 0.04 percent. At five percent CO2 concentration, according to experts, people react with dizziness and headaches. At concentrations of eight to ten percent it comes to shortness of breath, fainting and unconsciousness and after 30 to 60 minutes then death occurs. With a 20 percent CO2 concentration, there is immediate loss of consciousness and death after a few minutes. (Ad)

Picture credits: Peter von Bechen