Page 4 - sja july 30,2015

3,500 MIGRANTS TRY TO
ENTER CHANNEL TUNNEL
TO GO FROM FRANCE TO UK
IN just the past two days, 3,500 mi-
grants have tried to cross the Channel
Tunnel between France and the United
Kingdom -- a dangerous breach that has
paralyzed traffic and resulted in at least
one death, officials said.
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.
On Tuesday night, 1,500 migrants tried
to enter the Channel Tunnel, operator
Eurotunnel said. It said its teams found
a corpse, which French state radio said
is the body of a Sudanese migrant.
And overnight Monday, 2,000 migrants
tried to enter the Channel Tunnel
through the French terminal near Calais,
Eurotunnel said. Some of those migrants
were injured, Eurotunnel France spokes-
woman Cecile Carreras said. French au-
thorities and Eurotunnel personnel were
able to enter the tunnel and intervene.
CUTTING THROUGH FENCES
Calais police Officer Gilles Debove told
French state radio that “2,000 migrants
didn’t arrive just like that.” “We can’t
possibly imagine it’s a wave of 2,000
migrants,” Debove said. “Let us be clear:
Those are 2,000 intrusions on the site.
To compare, about three weeks ago, it
was around 500.”
ARUBA TRAVELLER - Thursday, July 30 2015
Debove said about 1,000 migrants had
been waiting around the Eurotunnel site
and had repeatedly cut fences.
EIGHT RECENT DEATHS
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.
And the attempted journey has been
deadly. Last Friday, a 23-year-old Er-
itrean 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 Channel.
“The authorities will now work with
migrants to inform them about the po-
tential 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.
AN INTERNATIONAL PROB- edged the massive disruption in traffic
LEM because of the flood of migrants.
“I have every sympathy with holiday
British Home Secretary Theresa May makers who are finding access to Calais
said France and Great Britain agreed to difficult because of the disturbances
work together “to return migrants, par- there,” he said Wednesday. “We will
ticularly to West Africa, to ensure that do everything that we can to work with
people see that making this journey does the French and bring these things to a
not lead to them coming to Europe and conclusion.”
being able to settle in Europe.” But French Interior Minister Bernard
She said both countries have invested Cazeneuve said the problem extends
heavily in tunnel security. beyond France and Britain.
“In Calais, the French government has “If we want to solve this problem in Cal-
already been pushing in for extra re- ais, if we want to prevent the networks
sources and extra police resources,” May of smugglers from driving vulnerable
said. “And the UK government will be men, women and kids to Calais, we need
pushing up to 17 million pounds ($26.5 to work on this problem in its origin,”
million) more to ensure the security of he said.
the Eurotunnel.” “We need to work on this from the mi-
British Prime Minister David Cam- grants’ countries of origin and follow
eron said such security measures in- their path which leads to the European
clude added fencing. He also acknowl- territory.”
13INTERNATIONAL