France to deploy 120 extra police to secure Eurotunnel terminal
The French interior minister says Paris will send 120 additional police officers to secure the Eurotunnel terminal in the port city of Calais after hundreds of migrants stormed the site in an attempt to get to England.
Bernard Cazeneuve made the announcement on Wednesday after migrants in the northern city of Calais made some 1,500 attempts overnight to enter the terminal of the Channel Tunnel linking France to the United Kingdom.
The French minister said that Eurotunnel, which operates the 50.5-kilometer undersea tunnel, “must also take responsibility” for securing its premises.
Meanwhile, a Eurotunnel spokesman said one person was found dead as the migrants tried to force their way into the Channel’s terminal on Tuesday.
According to French police sources, the victim, a Sudanese national believed to be between 25 and 30, lost his life after being hit by a truck near the site.
The latest death brings the number of migrants who died near the Channel Tunnel terminal site to nine since June.
Also on Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron voiced concern about attempts by migrants to enter the UK from the French town of Calais via the Channel Tunnel, aka Chunnel.
“This is very concerning,” Cameron told reporters during a visit to Singapore, adding, “We are working very closely” with French officials to deal with the situation.
Cazeneuve has also recently traveled to London to hold talks with relevant British authorities on how to address the migrant issue.
This is while Eurotunnel is seeking 9.7 million euros ($10.67 million) from the British and French administrations in compensation for disruption caused by the migrants.
A large number of migrants from war zones and impoverished countries have in recent years flocked to Calais in the hope of reaching Britain by hiding in trucks or other vehicles crossing to the country.
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