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A migrant died on Tuesday July 7th while attempting to board a moving freight train in Calais on the way to the UK according to Eurotunnel officials. The migrant, whose name, sex, and nationality have not been officially released, is the second to die in similar circumstances in as many weeks while trying to enter the UK through France. The UK is one of the most popular immigration destinations in the World.
There are thousands of Migrants living in Calais many of whom wish to make the crossing to the UK. Many of them are asylum seekers. Living conditions for these migrants in Calais are really bad. They think, perhaps incorrectly, that life will be better for them in the UK.
Migrant attempted to 'jump' onto train
A spokesperson for Eurotunnel said that workers became aware of migrants in the tunnel at 5.30am, adding: "Safety procedures apply automatically if there is any human presence in the tunnel, therefore the train was brought to a controlled stop and the overhead power was cut. The French police conducted a search, in the process of which they found a migrant who they declared deceased a short while later."
A French border police officer said: "For the moment we assume that he wanted to jump onto the shuttle and missed and that he was struck by the train itself."
Transport association chief: UK and French governments must intervene in migrant safety 'crisis'
Three migrants have died attempting the crossing in the last month alone, although Tuesday's death was the first inside the Eurotunnel in 6 years, prompting Freight Transport Association chief David Wells to write to UK prime minister David Cameron to voice lorry drivers' concerns about the conditions that migrants face: "It is a tragedy that the deplorable situation in Calais has resulted in a fatality, but it was clear that the issue at the port was spiralling out of control. We have been calling on the British and French governments to intervene for some time, and are now asking the prime minister to give the matter his urgent priority and implement plans to alleviate the crisis."
15 migrant deaths 2014
An investigation by the Guardian last year revealed that at least 15 migrants died in and around Calais in 2014 while attempting the journey to the UK, in what United Nations Refugee Agency director Vincent Cochetel called "a shameful situation to witness in the heart of the European Union."
Cochetal blamed the spate of deaths on the 'unacceptable' conditions at the port, saying there are "people dying of cold and even more desperate people taking even more risks. Some of the people there are becoming so tired and desperate that they are ready to do very dangerous things."
