Eritrean migrant killed by freight train while attempting to enter Channel tunnel
2015-10-01 10:12:54 Written by By Tomas Monzon Published in English Articles Read 3111 times-
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CALAIS, France, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A migrant from Eritrea was killed by a freight train Wednesday at the Channel tunnel in Calais, France, as he attempted to make his way to Britain, law enforcement said.
Calais police said they found the man at about 1 a.m. local time. Eurotunnel, which owns the Channel tunnel, or Chunnel, said incident was "regrettable" and a representation of the dangers associated with trying to cross the Channel illegally.
The man's death marks the fourth such casualty at Calais in the past two weeks, and the second in a 24-hour period. On Tuesday, a 20-year old man from Iraq was found crushed by truck pallets there. The week prior, an African teenager was also hit by a freight train near the Channel tunnel entrance. Finally, a man believed to be Syrian was electrocuted near the tunnel entrance as he tried to climb atop a train.
Migrants in Calais have tried to stow away on ferries or trucks bound for Britain. At least 13 people have died in attempts to access to Channel tunnel since June.
Newly installed security fences around the nearby train tracks have stymied attempts to access the Channel tunnel entrance. A peak figure of 2,000 attempts each night to enter Britain through the tunnel has decreased to fewer than 150.
A Eurotunnel spokesman told SkyNews the continued attempts by migrants to cross illegally is "very, very sad" and that it puts "their lives at risk."
British Home Secretary Theresa May said France and Britain are willing to work together to deport these migrants back to where they came from, adding that the two countries have spent a significant amount on tunnel security.
