Migrant is found dead in the Channel Tunnel after Eurotunnel terminal is invaded in latest bid to reach Britain, causing huge delays for passengers
- One of six sections of Channel Tunnel has been closed for investigation
- 90-minute delays for passengers and freight services are also affected
- Delays also building around junction 11a of the M20 in Kent, say police
A
migrant was found dead in the Channel Tunnel today after the Eurotunnel
terminal was invaded by refugees trying to reach Britain.
One
of the six sections of the tunnel was closed for investigation, causing
another round of delays for travellers. It was as yet unclear how the
migrant died.
Freight
traffic was being disrupted but there were also delays to passenger
services of up to 90 minutes following the intrusion near Calais,
Channel tunnel operator Eurotunnel said.
It
is the second migrant fatality to take place in as many weeks following
the reported death of an Eritrean while trying to get on a train at
Coquelles last month.
A migrant was found dead in the
Channel Tunnel today after the Eurotunnel terminal was invaded by
refugees trying to reach Britain, causing further delays for travellers
and freight services (file picture)
Migrants at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Calais try to get on board a lorry during the ferry workers strike last month
A spokesman said: 'We don't know how many were responsible for the intrusion overnight.
'The French authorities were conducting searches during the early hours.
'Services are partly suspended, and the disruption is principally affecting freight services.
'Passenger services are running with slight delays. This has become a nightly occurrence.'
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The alarm was raised at the Eurotunnel terminal in France in the early hours causing a partial closure of the tunnel.
Kent
Police said delays were building around junction 11a of the M20, where
lorries are queued as part of Operation Stack when cross-Channel
services hit disruption.
The
migrant crisis in Calais has escalated in recent months, with around
3,000 people displaced from countries including Eritrea, Syria and
Afghanistan setting up camp near the port.
Last
week, more than 3,000 truckers had to queue for several days in high
temperatures on the M20 following a wildcat strike by ferry workers in
France.
Freight traffic was being disrupted
but there were also delays to passenger services following the intrusion
near Calais in the early hours of the morning, Channel tunnel operator
Eurotunnel said (file picture)
Industrial
action by ferry workers this summer has come on top of the problems
faced by hauliers with migrants desperately trying to clamber on board
their HGVs to the UK.
French
authorities have faced claims they are not doing enough to safeguard
lorry drivers from intimidation, violence and attempts by migrants to
climb on.
The
Road Haulage Association (RHA) has suggested deployment of the French
military to boost security in Calais amid fears that a fatality could
occur.
The
Fresh Produce Consortium estimates that £10 million of fresh fruit and
vegetables have been thrown away since the start of the year as a result
of the problems in Calais.
And Port of Dover officials said last week's ferry strike cost the UK economy £1billion.
They
have joined calls for 'robust contingency plans' to be introduced to
ensure the port – a £100 billion trade route – can work unimpeded by
others.
Home
Secretary Theresa May and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve last
week agreed to increase the joint intervention fund to improve security
around the port and the Channel Tunnel.
French
aid workers have reported a 'catastrophic' situation, with predictions
that 2,000 more migrants could arrive over the summer at the camp,
dubbed Jungle II.
Volunteers
from L'Auberge Des Migrants say up to 50 new migrants are arriving
every day at the camp, and there are not enough tents, blankets or food.
Dover
Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has said the problems underlined the
need to consider expanding the port at Dunkirk, 45 miles from Calais.
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