700 passengers were left stranded and without toilets for 8 hours after a Eurostar train broke down

• Hundreds of passengers traveling to Amsterdam were stuck on a Eurostar train in London for hours. 
• Overhead power cables fell on the train, causing it to lose power. 
• Passengers said toilets were overflowing and they didn't receive much food or water.

Some 700 passengers were left stranded after a Eurostar train broke down 30 minutes after leaving London's St Pancras station on Thursday, reported the BBC.

The train departed for Amsterdam at 8.16 a.m. but stopped at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, which connects England to France, per the report.

The train had broken down after several overhead power lines fell, Eurostar said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The situation was complicated due to the position of the train and the track infrastructure," Eurostar said in another post on X.

Several passengers said they were left without electricity or access to toilets for eight hours, per the BBC.

Ben Williams, a passenger on the train, told The Independent that four or five hours after the train broke down, passengers were each offered one free item of food.

Ashleigh Furlong, a Politico reporter and passenger on the train, wrote in a Politico article that they didn't receive any updates from Eurostar for several hours.

"With toilets overflowing, people increasingly hungry and thirsty, and minimal communication from train staff, goodwill soon evaporates," Furlong wrote.

A spokesperson for Eurostar told Business Insider that it apologizes for the incident and is transporting the passengers back to London.

"Following a complicated situation due to the position of the train and the track infrastructure, certain safety procedures had to be adhered to before the train could move. Further to this, the collapse of the overhead line meant that power was out on the train. The backup battery power on board expired after a few hours, putting the lighting, heat toilets and public address systems out of service. During the disruption, food and beverages were provided with emergency provision available."

The spokesperson added that all affected passengers on board were taken back to St Pancras station and given water, snacks and assistance. They are also being offered compensation.

"Eurostar is very sorry for what our customers had to experience. Eurostar and its staff prides itself on running a reliable service," the spokesperson added."We are taking immediate action into reviewing how the disruption was handled especially the processes and communication with infrastructure partners. "

Eurostar said in a post on X on Thursday that the train was "on the move" and that arrangements were being made to transport the passengers back to London. Eurostar did not state if the train or passengers had already reached the city.

It's not the first time passengers were left stranded after a train broke down. In January, passengers were stuck on an Amtrak train for 29 hours after another train had derailed. In August 2022, passengers were stranded in the undersea Eurotunnel for five hours after a Le Shuttle train broke down.