Eritrean Man Attempting to Reach U.K. Killed in Eurotunnel

A freight train hit and killed an Eritrean asylum seeker in the Eurotunnel at Calais early Wednesday as he attempted to make the journey to the U.K, a local official told AFP news agency.

The Eritrean man, in his 20s, was hit near the entrance of the tunnel and is the 13th asylum seeker to die in or near the tunnel that connects France and Britain underneath the English Channel this summer.

"A migrant was found dead by a security guard at around 1:00am. He was hit by a freight train," said the official.

Approximately 3,000 African, Afghan and Syrian refugees and migrants are currently located in camps near the French port town of Calais.

A spokesman for Eurotunnel said that a train driver was receiving "psychological support" in the aftermath of the incident, the BBC reported.

"This is another very regrettable incident and shows how dangerous it is to try and cross the tunnel illegally," he said.

Another African national, reportedly a teenager, was also killed by a freight train last week near the tunnel's entrance while a 20-year-old Iraqi national was found crushed in a lorry making its way to the U.K. at Calais port on Tuesday. Earlier this month, another man was killed after being electrocuted on the roof of a freight train in the Eurotunnel.

The latest casualty is the 13th person to die trying to reach Britain from Calais this year, according to the BBC.

In July, thousands of asylum seekers attempted to storm the tunnel or hide in lorries travelling to the U.K. Britain and France subsequently announced the formation of a "command and control center" in Calais last month in a bid to target people-smuggling gangs and to prevent people attempting the hazardous journey.

As part of the joint initiative, both countries agreed to boost security around the Channel Tunnel with more fencing, flood lighting, infrared detection technology and surveillance to be installed.