I-LONDON - Abantu abangaphezu kwe-2,000 baxinzelelwe phantsi kweSiteshi seNgesi ukuya kwiiyure ze-16 xa izitimela zabo ze-Eurostar zafika zime kwi-tunnel, zishiya abaninzi babo bengenakutya, amanzi - okanye nayiphi na ingcamango yento eyenzekayo.
Ekugqibeleni, bonke baphume bekhuselekile ngolwesiHlanu ebusuku, kodwa abanye bahlaselwa yi-claustrophobia okanye uloyiko, kwaye abakhweli abaninzi bakhalaza ngelithi abasebenzi be-Eurostar abenze nto encinci ukubanceda kule ngxaki, enyanzelise abanye ukuba bahambe ngenxalenye yetonela emnyama, 24 iimayile (iikhilomitha ezingama-38) eziphantsi kwamanzi.
Abaphathi be-Eurostar bacele uxolo, ukubuyisela imali, ukuhamba simahla kunye nokunye, kodwa inkampani iye yacima zonke iinkonzo zabakhweli ngeChannel Tunnel de kube ngoMvulo kwilinge lokufumanisa ukuba kwenzeke ntoni.
“Yayiyi-pandemonium,” utshilo u-Lee Godfrey, owayebuyela eLondon esuka eDisneyland Paris nosapho lwakhe xa wayebanjwe etoneleni. Uthe abantu bahlaselwe sisifo sombefu baze baquleke emva kokucinywa kombane kaloliwe, kwacima izibane kunye neendawo zokuvula umoya.
“Abantu boyika kakhulu,” uxelele unomathotholo we-BBC, ekhalaza ngonxibelelwano olulambathayo kwaye esithi abanye abakhweli kufuneka bazivulele iingcango zikaxakeka.
UGodfrey wayengomnye woololiwe abane ababevaleleke etoneleni ngolwesiHlanu ngokuhlwa ngezizathu ezingacacanga.
Amagosa e-Eurostar acinge ukuba utshintsho olukhawulezayo olusuka kwingqele yomkhenkce yaseFransi, ethwaxwa yimozulu embi kakhulu yasebusika kwiminyaka, ukuya kubushushu betonela bekuya kuphazamisana neenkqubo zombane zikaloliwe. Kodwa umphathi wenkampani, uNicolas Petrovic, uthe i-Eurostar kuya kufuneka iphande ukuba kutheni oololiwe bephuka.
“Asikaze siyibone into enje kwi-Eurostar,” utshilo uPetrovic kwirediyo yaseFrance-Info ngoMgqibelo.
Inkampani iye yarhoxisa iinkonzo ezicwangcisiweyo rhoqo kude kube ngoMvulo ukuze kuqhutywe uvavanyo.
“Asifuni kuphinda phezolo,” utshilo isithethi se-Eurostar uPaul Gorman.
Abanye abakhweli baye bakhutshwa ngokuthatyathwa kwitonela likaloliwe elimnyama besiwa kwiinqanawa. Abanye bashiywa koololiwe ababini ababedityaniswe kunye baza batyhalelwa eLondon ngoololiwe abancinci bedizili.
UParisian Gregoire Sentilhes uchaze ukubhideka njengoko abasemagunyeni bebesokola ukukhupha abakhweli.
“Sachitha ubusuku ngaphakathi etoneleni,” watsho. “Ngentsimbi yesi-6 kusasa sakhutshwa ngabacimi-mlilo kuloliwe. Sahamba umgama oziikhilomitha ezisisi-1.6 siphethe imithwalo yethu. Singene komnye uloliwe we-Eurostar kwaye sasivaleleke kuye, sibuya sibuya singena ngaphakathi etoneleni. ”
Uthe abakhweli bahlaselwa luloyiko, beswele into eselwayo kwaye abayazi into eyenzekayo. Abanye bakhalaze nangesiphithiphithi kunye neenzame ezingalungelelanisiweyo zokubabuyisela ekhaya.
Eso siphithiphithi sanwenwela ngokuhlwa kwangoMgqibelo.
Kwangoko ngoMgqibelo i-Eurostar ibhengeze ukuba ithumela abakhweli abaswelekileyo ekhaya besuka eLondon ngoololiwe abathathu abakhethekileyo - kuphela ukurhoxisa inkonzo kwiiyure ezimbalwa kamva. Oololiwe ababini abathunyelwe besuka eParis nabo barhoxisiwe - omnye wophuka kamsinya nje emva kokushiya itonela, ngelixa omnye wamiswa eLille kumantla eFrance.
Umphathi oyiNtloko uRichard Brown uthe inkampani "ibuhlungu kakhulu ukuba abakhweli abaninzi baye baphazamiseka phezolo kwaye ngale ntsasa ngenxa yeemeko zemozulu emantla eFransi. Sisebenza nzima ukuze abakhweli bagoduke. Siza kubabuyisela ngokupheleleyo kunye nelinye itikiti.”
I-Eurostar ibonelela ngenkonzo kaloliwe edibanisa iLondon ukuya eParis naseBrussels. Ngokuqhelekileyo kugcwele ngabakhenkethi beeholide ngeli xesha lonyaka.
Udumo lwenkonzo kaloliwe yokusebenza ngokukhuselekileyo luye lwaphazamiseka ngoSeptemba, 2008, emva kokuba kuqhambuke umlilo njengoko omnye wololiwe wangena kwitonela eliziikhilomitha ezingama-50 (iikhilomitha ezingama-30). Inkonzo yarhoxiswa kangangeenyanga ezintlanu njengoko umonakalo omkhulu wawulungiswa.
NgoMgqibelo, ukuhamba kwabaqhubi abanethemba lokuwela i-English Channel ngezikhitshane kunye nokudlula kwi-Channel Tunnel nako kuphazamiseke kakhulu. Amapolisa aseKent, eNgilani, alumkisa abaqhubi ukuba bangahambi baye kwizibuko laseDover ngaphandle kwakwiimeko zongxamiseko ngenxa yokuxinana kweenqwelo-mafutha ezibangelwa ziingxaki ezisetoneleni nakwizibuko laseFransi eCalais.
Amapolisa aqalisa isicwangciso sokungehla sokuvumela iilori ezifikelela kuma-2,300 12 ezinethemba lokuwela i-English Channel ukuze zimise koohola bendlela de imeko ibe ngcono. Abasebenzi boMnqamlezo Obomvu banikezela ngeziselo ezishushu namanzi kubaqhubi beemoto abavaleleke kwiimoto zabo ukuya kutsho kwiiyure ezili-XNUMX.
