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Migrant dies after being hit by truck near French port of Calais

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Migrant dies after being hit by truck near French port of Calais
Migrants trying to cross the Channel often try to hide in lorries bound for Britain. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP)

A migrant was hit by a truck and died near the French port of Calais, a major point of departure for migrants trying to cross the Channel, prosecutors said.

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The accident happened on the port's ringroad where migrants often try to jump onto trucks bound for Britain, hoping to cross the border undetected.

It was unclear whether this was the case for the man, but an official at the nearby prosecutors office said he "was apparently crossing the motorway when he was hit".

Rescue services were called to the scene, but their efforts to save the man failed, and he died by the side of the road.

Hundreds of migrants live in makeshift camps in the Calais region, hoping to make it to England.

According to the Auberge des Migrants (Migrant shelter), an NGO, there are currently around 500 migrants in Calais.

"Some cannot afford any other way of getting across than by truck," said its coordinator, Pierre Roques.

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Five people died in the Channel last year, and four others went missing, as they tried to reach the British coast from northern France.

Also last year, at least three other migrants died as they tried to board trucks or trains heading for Britain.

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