Eurotunnel blocks 37,000 migrant attempts to reach UK since JanJuly 29, 2015 - 14:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Migrants rushed the tunnel linking France and England repeatedly for a second night on Wednesday, July 29, and one man was crushed by a truck in the chaos, deepening tensions surrounding the thousands of people camped in this northern French port city of Calais. Eurotunnel said it had blocked more than 37,000 such attempts by migrants to reach Britain since January, the Associated Press reports. There were conflicting numbers of people involved Wednesday, ranging from 150 to as many as 1,200. But all agreed there had been about 2,000 attempts on each of two successive nights — numbers have been growing exponentially as has sense of crisis in recent weeks, spurred by new barriers around the Eurotunnel site, labor strife that turned the rails into protest sites for striking workers, and an influx of migrants desperate for a better life. Many British officials have expressed growing alarm at what they see as a potential influx of foreigners, although it's not clear how many people have successfully made the passage. Natacha Bouchart, mayor of Calais, told France Info radio on Wednesday that migrants are trying to reach England from France "at all costs" — first crossing a busy highway and then trying to stow away on trucks waiting to board trains. She says Britain, France and the Eurotunnel need to work together on the issue, according to the AP. British Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking during his visit to Singapore, described the crisis as "very concerning," but that there was no point in "pointing fingers of blame". The British government has agreed to extra 7 million pounds ($11 million) of funding for measures to improve security at Calais. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia PM meets Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyyed Ali Khamenei Ruling MP accuses opposition of “serving other countries' interests” Khachatur Sukiasyan has accused Armenia’s opposition of serving the interests of other countries Protest leader vows to achieve departure of Armenian authorities According to Archbishop Bagrat, there is only one solution to the situation in Armenia. Heads of Armenian, Ukrainian parliaments hold virtual talks Alen Simonyan and Ruslan Stefanchuk held talks via video conference on Tuesday, May 21. |