“Around fifty people are in a state of relative emergency, with injuries such as scalp wounds, clavicle fractures and knee sprains. But there are no critical injuries. It could have been much worse,” Cellier said.
The exact cause of the collision was unclear but local media reported that one of the trams was reversing at the time.
Mayor Jeanne Barseghian, who visited the site, described the incident as a “brutal collision” and expressed her gratitude to emergency responders. “I am at the station with the injured and rescuers. Thank you for your mobilization,” she said on X. She urged the public not to obstruct rescue operations.
Images shared on social media showed two severely damaged tram cars, one of which had derailed in the tunnel.
Strasbourg, the first major French city to reinstate tram services in 1994, had not experienced a significant tram accident until now, according to French media. Authorities launched an investigation to determine what caused the collision.
Cleanup operations continued Saturday evening, and residents were advised to avoid the area around the train station.