Migrant dies on Channel Tunnel train trying to reach UK

Cross-Channel passengers and freight services have faced delays since the death at 05:00 BST

A migrant who is believed to have jumped onto a freight train heading for Britain has died, Eurotunnel has said.

The Channel Tunnel operator tweeted that the shuttle had been stopped following the incident on the French side at about 05:00 BST.

The death comes days after about 150 migrants tried to storm the Channel Tunnel terminal in France.

Passenger services have now returned to normal following earlier delays, Eurotunnel has confirmed.

'Jump injuries'

John Keef from Eurotunnel said: "Migrants were seen onboard a truck shuttle approaching the tunnel at about half-past-five this morning.

"We brought the shuttle to a controlled stop [and] cut the electrical power overhead.

"Police conducted a search at the end of which they found a migrant dead from injuries sustained probably from trying to jump on to the shuttle."

It is the second migrant fatality in as many weeks following the reported death of an Eritrean while trying to get on a train at Coquelles last month.

Signs warn about the risk of death on rail tracks ahead of the Channel Tunnel in France

Operation Stack, where lorries are parked on the M20 and non-freight traffic diverted off the motorway, was re-introduced from 13:00 BST according to Kent Police.

Kent Police said the M20 was closed between junctions eight and 11 coastbound for non-freight traffic to allow lorries to be parked on the carriageway.

At 19:00 BST, Eurotunnel confirmed it was operating a normal timetable in both directions, with five departures per hour for freight traffic.

'Situation deplorable'

The Freight Transport Association has written to David Cameron saying urgent action was need to tackle chaos at Calais.

Chief Executive David Wells said the situation at the French port was "deplorable" and "spiralling out of control".

"We have been calling on both the British and French governments to intervene for some time, and are now asking the prime minister to give the matter his urgent priority, and to implement plans to alleviate the crisis," he said.

He added the cost of the disruption was running into "hundreds of millions of pounds each week".

Damian Green, the Conservative MP for Ashford and former immigration minister, said Calais was "the problem".

"[Migrants] should not be allowed anywhere near the trains or the tracks or the trucks," he said.

"That's a policing matter for the French authorities. All we can do is urge them to perform that policing function better."