2,000 migrants attempt to enter Eurotunnel

In a desperate bid to reach England from the French port of Calais, around 2,000 migrants tried to enter the Eurotunnel overnight, according to a statement from a company spokesman on Tuesday. "Between midnight and 6:00 am," the spokesman said, the waves of migrants, many living in despair at a better future after months of living in tents at the French port, attempted the sometimes fatal bid to reach Britain through the tunnel.

"It was the biggest incursion effort in the past month and a half," said the Eurotunnel spokesman, adding that "all our security personnel, that is nearly 200 people, as well as police were called in."

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed the numbers to news agency AFP, saying "there were some arrests and it all passed off without a fuss." Local authorities, however, disputed the amount, with police saying that despite "regular incursion attempts" it was incorrect to "say that there were 2,000 migrants at the same time."

Calais officials were unable to say if anyone had been injured in their attempts to access the tunnel.

The incident did cause serious disruptions to train service in the Eurotunnel for much of Tuesday, which passengers held up for around an hour on the British side and half an hour on the French side.

Increased security means more risky attempts at tunnel

Eight people have died trying to enter the tunnel since the beginning of June. According to official estimates, around 3,000 mostly Eritrean, Ethiopian, Sudanese and Afghan migrants have been camped out in Calais trying to reach England. Since security has been stepped in the port as a response, migrants have had to abandon their attempts to sneak onto trucks and ferries and make the more dangerous go at getting through the Eurotunnel.

Theresa May, Britain's Home Secretary, said on Tuesday that her government was willing to put up 7 million pounds (around $11 million) to help France secure its side of the tunnel on the English Channel.

"We're dealing with terrible criminal gangs," May said after her talk with Cazeneuve.

"We agreed that we will work together to return migrants, particularly to West Africa, to ensure that people see that making this journey does not mean that they are being able to settle in Europe."

es/kms (AFP, Reuters)