Calais migrant crisis: Man dies as Channel Tunnel targeted

A man has been killed as at least 1,500 migrants tried to enter the Channel Tunnel in Calais on Tuesday night, French police have said.

Eurotunnel, which says incursions are now a nightly occurrence, said migrants had been removed from the site. It advised freight services to consider alternative transport for Wednesday.

Sections of the M20 in Kent are closed in both directions for Operation Stack.

It comes as the UK government comes under pressure to combat the crisis.

Speaking after a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee, Home Secretary Theresa May said the UK was pressing for the rapid installation of 1.2 miles of new security fencing which it has pledged to pay for at Coquelles, near the tunnel entrance.

Mrs May added there were some migrants “particularly trying to get into the Eurotunnel and on to the trains before that security fencing is going up”.

France’s interior minister said 120 police officers were being sent to Calais to reinforce security at the site.

‘Urgent work’

The man who died is described as Sudanese, aged between 25 and 30.

French police said he was probably crushed by a lorry which was exiting one of the shuttles that transport vehicles through the tunnel.

He is the ninth person to die trying to access the tunnel since June.

Eurotunnel said some 2,000 migrants had tried to get into the terminal on Monday.

A spokesman said it was an issue for the government to “sort out”, adding. “We need them to stop the migrant flow from Calais but it appears to be too much for them to handle.”

Mrs May said some migrants had reached Britain through the Channel Tunnel, but did not say how many had arrived.

Speaking after Wednesday’s Cobra meeting, she said: “Crucially what we are looking at now is improving security at the railhead at Coquelles, so we can ensure people are not trying to come through the tunnel.

“That means some urgent work in government but also with Eurotunnel, and Eurotunnel has a role to play here in the measures they themselves put in place to protect their trains.”

The Home Office has pledged to spend £7m on 1.2 miles of fencing there.

©BBC