Some 2,000 migrants tried to enter
the Channel Tunnel terminal in Calais on Monday night in an attempt to
reach the UK, operator Eurotunnel has said.
A number of people were injured, a spokesman for Eurotunnel said, without elaborating.
Eurotunnel
is facing a daily struggle with migrants who attempt to smuggle
themselves into Britain, sometimes with fatal consequences.
The latest incident caused serious delays to Eurotunnel train services.
Passengers
were held up for about an hour on the British side and 30 minutes on
the French side on Tuesday, French news agency AFP reported.
Meanwhile,
the UK has agreed to provide an extra £7m ($10.9m) towards efforts to
step up security at the Channel Tunnel railhead in Calais, Home
Secretary Theresa May has announced.
A spokesman for Eurotunnel said the migrants were trying to enter the
site "between midnight and 6am", adding: "It was the biggest incursion
effort in the past month and a half.
"All our security personnel, that is nearly 200 people, as well as police were called in."
Another
Eurotunnel spokesman said: "There was some damage to our fences - which
we'll have to repair - as they tried to board shuttles. Fortunately,
there wasn't any damage to shuttles. Unfortunately, a number of people
were injured.
"It is an almost nightly occurrence - we're trying to run a travel business here."
'Human misery'
Eight migrants have died this summer trying to reach Britain through the Channel Tunnel.
There
were delays to services last week when the body of a suspected migrant
was found on the roof of a Eurotunnel train at the terminal in
Folkestone, southern England.
AFP says an official count at the
beginning of July found that about 3,000 migrants - mainly from
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan - were camping in Calais and
trying to get across the Channel.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve held talks in London on Tuesday with the UK home secretary on the migrant issue.
Speaking
after their meeting, Ms May said: She said: "The French and UK
governments are working in close collaboration and co-operation on this
issue which affects us both.
"We are both clear that we need to
ensure we are dealing with the terrible criminal gangs, the people
smugglers, who are making a profit out of the human misery of many
people."
Eurotunnel is seeking compensation from the British and French governments for disruption caused by illegal migrants.
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