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Eurotunnel services suspended after mass break-in | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Eurotunnel services for passengers and freight have been suspended after more than 100 migrants broke into its French terminal, the company has said. | |
It said Channel Tunnel trains between Folkestone and Calais were affected by the "breakthrough and attack". | |
French authorities were reported to be containing and removing the migrants. | |
A man died on Wednesday after being found unconscious beside the tunnel's tracks - the 13th migrant to die trying to reach the UK since late June. | |
A Eurotunnel spokesman described the latest incident as a "massive invasion and intrusion by a very large and co-ordinated group of migrants". | |
He added: "They arrived together an in a well-organised manner, broke through the fences and all clearly knew where they were going." | |
Eurotunnel said train services were suspended for safety reasons because people were on the tracks. | |
Passengers could use their tickets on ferries during the disruption, which was expected to last for several hours, the company's spokesman added. | |
Extra security | |
The man who died on Wednesday was the fourth person to have died in similar circumstances in September. | |
On Tuesday, it was reported that a 20-year-old Iraqi man had been found dead in a UK-bound lorry. | On Tuesday, it was reported that a 20-year-old Iraqi man had been found dead in a UK-bound lorry. |
And last week, a teenager, thought to be from east Africa, was killed by a freight train near the Channel Tunnel entrance in Calais. | And last week, a teenager, thought to be from east Africa, was killed by a freight train near the Channel Tunnel entrance in Calais. |
Days earlier a man died when he was electrocuted at the tunnel entrance. | Days earlier a man died when he was electrocuted at the tunnel entrance. |
The situation in Calais is part of a wider migrant crisis across Europe, with huge numbers of people heading north from the Mediterranean. | The situation in Calais is part of a wider migrant crisis across Europe, with huge numbers of people heading north from the Mediterranean. |
Eurotunnel's Le Shuttle train service operates 24 hours a day. | |
A posting on its website at 00:20 BST said the incident in the Channel Tunnel was "in the process of being resolved". | |
In August, Eurotunnel said the number of attempts by migrants trying to get into its terminal near Calais had fallen to about 150 a night, down from a high of 2,000 in the previous month. | |
Extra security, including fencing, paid for by the UK, has been put in place, aimed at making it harder for migrants to get onto the platforms and trains. |