A migrant died on Tuesday trying to reach Britain through the Channel Tunnel, French authorities in the Pas-de-Calais region have confirmed, reports The Telegraph.
One of the six sections of the tunnel was closed for investigation, but train traffic had not stopped. It was as yet unclear how the migrant died.
“Following the detection of migrants on a freight shuttle early this morning, the shuttle was immediately stopped,” said the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, the local state authority.
“During a security inspection by border police, a deceased migrant was found in the tunnel”, it said in a statement.
Gilles Debove, of the police union Unité SGP-Police FO, said: "Around 400 migrants arrived and besieged the tunnel, as they do almost every night. One managed to board a freight shuttle and unfortunately fell off, losing his life."
Eurostar announced that "trains are subject to delays" in another tweet without further detail, while Eurotunnel said the shuttle on which the incident took place had now left the tunnel on the French side.
Last month, a 26-year old Eritrean migrant was killed on the French side of the Channel Tunnel after trying to board a moving freight train. He was thrown off and collided with a concrete pylon.
Days later, a female migrant was found dead on the A16 motorway after being crushed by a vehicle.
Local police have warned that migrants are now breaking into restricted areas on the French side of the Eurotunnel terminal almost nightly.
A Eurotunnel spokesman said: "Services are partly suspended, and the disruption is principally affecting freight services. Passenger services are running with slight delays.
"We are working very hard to restore full services as soon as possible."
The incident comes days after around 150 migrants caused delays and cancellations when they tried to storm the Channel Tunnel terminal in France.