eurotunnel
Stranded: Hundreds of passengers were left stranded in the Channel Tunnel and forced to get off their train and walk along a service tunnel (pictured) after a massive power failure
Hundreds of passengers wait patiently to be rescued yesterday after being trapped in the Channel Tunnel.

Many took selfies and other photos of the scene as they were evacuated from a car shuttle train which hit fallen power cables eight miles in.

The incident blocked one of the tunnel's two tracks for most of the day, throwing the travel plans of thousands of holidaymakers and other passengers into chaos.

Massive queues built up at London St Pancras and Folkestone.

There were fears of a knock-on effect today but operator Eurotunnel said it hoped services would return to normal by this morning.

BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth was among those whose plans were hit.

Her Eurostar train took five hours to make the journey from London to Lille instead of the normal 90 minutes.

The incident began at about 7.30am when the Eurotunnel shuttle service from Folkestone to Calais ground to a halt about a quarter of the way into its journey.

channel tunnel diagram
Stuck: The Channel Tunnel is designed in a way which means that if a train breaks down inside, services can still run through the length of the tunnel. The train broke down in the north tunnel, which runs trains from the UK to France. Passengers were taken off the train via a service tunnel and onto a new train in the south tunnel, which then continued to Calais, returning to the correct tunnel using one of two under-water cross over points
Some 20 minutes later, nearly 400 passengers - and four dogs - were ordered to abandon their vehicles and were ushered by officials and emergency services into the service tunnel that runs between the two main rail tunnels.

They were given evacuation packs containing a pen, notepad, playing cards, torch, fan, water and wet wipes.
eurotunnel
Stranded: Services through the tunnel to France had to be be suspended as people were forced off the train and evacuated. Services through the tunnel is now running with long delays
Passenger Richard Byrom said: 'All of a sudden I heard this crashing noise. It didn't sound like the train itself had crashed but it came to a grinding halt. There was this scraping sound, like the cables were entangled. For about 20 minutes the train just stopped and we didn't know what had happened.

'Eventually they said they are going to take us off because they couldn't move our train.'

After a half-hour wait, they walked to the other rail tunnel to board a train sent from Calais to pick them up. Eurotunnel blamed the incident on fallen power cables but said it was unclear how it had happened.

A spokesman said the affected train had suddenly lost power and come to a 'controlled stop', adding: 'We know it was a problem linked to the overhead power supply but we don't know what exactly caused it.'
Eurostar breakdown
Aftermath: Because Eurostar also uses the same tunnel, huge queues have formed at London St Pancras
Services were delayed or cancelled as the broken down shuttle was hauled to Calais where, some eight hours later, the passengers were reunited with their vehicles.

Those trains that ran to and from France took it in turns to use the track that remained operational.

Many drivers booked to use the shuttle service opted to take ferries from Dover instead, causing long tailbacks on the M20.

Eurostar passengers in London were warned of five-hour delays - or told their train had been cancelled and they would have to rebook.

Gavin Nicholls, 37, from Edinburgh, going on holiday with his wife and son to Slovenia via Paris, said: 'If we can't travel today and we have to rebook our connecting tickets, it could be a nightmare. It could cost us more than £1,000.'

Simon Clark, 44, from Bedford, said: 'They said our train has been cancelled and to book another ticket, but there's a massive queue.'

Newsreader Miss Raworth tweeted: 'Stuck outside Channel Tunnel entrance at Folkestone... I'm only going for the day!' Later she tweeted: 'Crew on the 8:58 London to Brussels were great ... & handing out free chocolate.'

Miss Raworth spoke to BBC news bulletins from the halted train to describe her ordeal. On reaching Lille, she tweeted: '5 hours later... made it! I'd be delighted if it weren't for the fact I'm on #eurostar home in 6 hrs. In theory...'

Also delayed was new Ukip MEP Patrick O'Flynn. He wants Britain to get out of Europe - but waited three hours trying to get in.

Eurotunnel said it would work through last night to fix the power lines and hoped services would return to normal by 6.30am today. But there were fears the Tour de France would face disruption. The riders flew out from London City Airport but more than 1,000 support vehicles were seeking to cross the Channel by ferry last night.