Some 800 to 1,000 migrants tried to break into the Channel Tunnel near the French port city of Calais in a desperate bid to reach Britain, local officials said, triggering chaotic scenes that saw traffic disrupted and security forces firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.
“We noted the presence of 800 to 1,000 migrants” near the tunnel on Thursday, a local official said, as a police source described the numbers as “unprecedented” for daytime.
People normally try to cross over under cover of darkness, often having paid exorbitant sums to smugglers to make dangerous, even life-threatening bids to reach the other side of the Channel.
“As they approached the tunnel, several migrants tried hard to slow down the flow of traffic so they could climb into the trucks,” the source said.
Young men could be seen climbing on top of trucks heading towards Britain, with some cutting through the tarpaulin covering the vehicles to get inside.
Others could be seen helping their friends climb into the back of a white truck.
Several people succeeded in their bid to enter the Channel Tunnel site, the journalist said.