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Europe's migrant surge
02:07 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Some of the 2,000 migrants were injured trying to get from France to the UK

Eight migrants have died trying to cross the tunnel, a French official says

CNN  — 

About 2,000 migrants tried to enter the Channel Tunnel through the French terminal near Calais Monday night in an attempt to reach the United Kingdom, operator Eurotunnel said.

Some of those migrants were injured, Eurotunnel France spokeswoman Cecile Carreras said. French authorities and Eurotunnel personnel were able to enter the tunnel and intervene.

The tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, runs 50 kilometers (31 miles) from a point near Calais, in northern France to Folkestone, in southeastern England.

British Home Secretary Theresa May said France and Great Britain agreed to work together “to return migrants, particularly to West Africa, to ensure that people see that making this journey does not lead to them coming to Europe and being able to settle in Europe.”

Calais has long been a gathering place for migrants trying to find a way into the UK. This year alone, Eurotunnel has intercepted 37,000 migrants, the operator said.

Last Friday, a 23-year-old Eritrean woman died after being hit by a car as she was trying to cross into the UK, said Gaetan Genel, a spokesman for France’s Nord Pas de Calais region.

The woman was the eighth migrant to die since June 1, Genel said.

Since her death, Pas de Calais administrator Fabienne Buccio announced new safety measures involving the Chunnel.

“The authorities will now work with migrants to inform them about the potential dangers they could face on the A16,” Genel said, referring to the road leading to the tunnel.

“They need to be aware that they are putting their lives in danger.”

Genel said Buccio also asked authorities to continue installing barriers and to add lighting, which would allow drivers to see when migrants try to jump onto their trucks at night.

May, the British home secretary, said both countries have invested heavily in tunnel security.

“In Calais, the French government has already been pushing in for extra resources and extra police resources,” May said. “And the UK government will be pushing up to 17 million pounds ($26.5 million) more to ensure the security of the Eurotunnel.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron said such security measures include added fencing. He also acknowledged the massive disruption in traffic because of the flood of migrants.

“We are also adding fencing around the entrance to the tunnel in Coquelles,” he said. “We are doing everything we can.”

But French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the problem extends beyond France and Britain.

“If we want to solve this problem in Calais, if we want to prevent the networks of smugglers from driving vulnerable men, women and kids to Calais, we need to work on this problem in its origin,” he said.

“We need to work on this from the migrants’ countries of origin and follow their path which leads to the European territory.”