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Man dies as 1,500 migrants try to storm tunnel

July 29, 2015

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said the migrant crisis in the northern French town of Calas is "very concerning." Cameron's statement follows an additional 1,500 attempts to enter the Eurotunnel.

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Frankreich Flüchtlingsansturm auf Eurotunnel
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Huguen

During a visit to Singapore, British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed concern on Wednesday over the situation in the northern French town of Calais, where migrants are attempting to cross the English Channel.

"This is very concerning," the premier told reporters in Singapore.

Cameron added that British authorities "are working very closely" with their French counterparts in order to address the Calais crisis.

The British prime minister noted that Home Secretary Theresa May would chair a COBRA committee meeting to tackle the crisis.

Rising death toll

The prime minister's statement comes on the heels of the latest discovery of a body near the Eurotunnel terminal.

"Our team found a corpse this morning and the firefighters have confirmed the death of this person," a Eurotunnel spokeswoman said early Wednesday.

The latest casualty of the crisis has brought the rising migrant death toll to nine since June.

'A number have come through'

French authorities said on Wednesday that migrants - many from the Middle East and Africa - in Calais made 1,500 incursion attempts to cross the channel through the Eurotunnel on late Tuesday into Wednesday, after 2,000 attempts were made the night before.

"Between 500 and 1,000 migrants" were said to be in the area, reported AFP news agency citing a police source.

Following an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday, UK Home Secretary Theresa May said that "a number of people have come through."

A spokesman for the Home Office declined to provide specific numbers, adding that all asylum claims are considered "on their individual merits."

"We will seek to remove anyone found not to need our protection," the spokesman added.

Eurotunnel delays

The issue has forced the Eurotunnel company to make intermittent delays, the latest occurring on Tuesday.

Eurotunnel is seeking 9.7 million euros ($10.67 million) in damages from British and French authorities due to disruption caused by migrants in Calais.

The operator said in a statement on Wednesday that it had blocked 37,000 attempts to make the journey through the tunnel since the start of the year.

ls/jil (AFP, Reuters, dpa)