Dead migrant Husham Osman Alzubair hoped to join family

Husham Osman Alzubair left his home village in Sudan earlier this year

A Sudanese migrant found dead on a freight train on the Kent side of the Channel Tunnel had been trying to join family in the UK to start a new life.

An inquest heard the body of Husham Osman Alzubair, 22, was found in the rear wagon as the train arrived in Folkestone early on 23 July.

The engineering graduate had suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded at the inquest in Folkestone.

Coroner Rachel Redman said it was the first death of a would-be migrant to be recorded in Britain.

Unanswered question

The inquest heard that Mr Alzubair had left his home village near Khartoum earlier this year, making his way to Calais.

Det Sgt Matthew Jones, of Kent Police, said his body was identified after a picture of a Barclaycard found on his mobile phone led investigators to his brother in Birmingham.

DNA was used to confirm his identity.

He told the hearing that he was probably fatally wounded when a large number of illegal immigrants had tried to board the train by running alongside and jumping on.

Afterwards, Mr Alzubair's cousin, Alnoor Shuaib, 32, said the family still had unanswered questions about how he died.

He said: "Maybe someone pushed him, we don't know.

"We have not got any evidence, and that is a real surprise to me."