PARIS — Passengers including European Parliament officials were evacuated from a train departing from the eastern French city of Strasbourg after “light smoke” emerged from the train, local authorities said Thursday.
Around 20 firefighters were deployed to the busy station at 2:45 p.m. local time, according to the Bas-Rhin firefighters’ office. It added that a section of the train had been reserved for European parliamentary officials. No injuries were reported and the cause of the smoke was not immediately known.
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 homes to the European Parliament — caused disruption to rail traffic in the region. France’s national railway, SNCF, confirmed that the incident would affect trains along the eastern line until Thursday evening, according to a post on X.
The European Parliament operates in both Strasbourg, where its plenary sessions are held, and Brussels, which serves as its administrative and committee headquarters.
