1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineSouth AfricaIsrael-Hamas war

Dozens of migrants disrupt Chunnel traffic

July 4, 2015

Migrants from Africa and the Middle East have disrupted a rail tunnel connecting Britain and France as they tried to storm a terminal at Calais. The operators have urged the authorities to resolve the migrant crisis.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Fsjk
Migrants walk near trucks blocked on a road which leads to the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles near Calais, northern France, June 30, 2015 (Photo: REUTERS/Vincent Kessler)
Image: Reuters/V. Kessler

Around 150 migrants attempted to board a Britain-bound train on Friday from the French port city of Calais, temporarily blocking the traffic and disrupting both freight and passenger services, according to the Eurotunnel operator.

It is the latest incident in a series of confrontations between the French authorities and some 3,000 migrants who have camped around the northern city in the hope of reaching the United Kingdom.

"At around 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Friday, there were migrants all around the perimeter trying to break through the fences," a Eurotunnel spokesman told Reuters news agency on Saturday. "There was a lot of disruption."

But Eurostar, which operates passenger trains through the tunnel, said its services were not affected.

Migrants at Calais have been trying to take advantage of strikes by port workers that have crippled ferry crossings. Most of these migrants want to go to the UK because they speak English and believe they have a better chance of getting a job there.

The tunnel operator has urged the authorities to resolve the overall migrant issue so that such incidents shouldn't take place.

People fleeing war and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East are seeking refuge in European countries. A record number of 60 million people fled their homes in the conflict zones last year, according to the United Nations.

On Thursday, France and Britain agreed to increase security at the port and the English Channel.

shs/sms (Reuters, AP)