Calais Refugee Crisis: Teenager Killed By Train Near Channel Tunnel Entrance

refugees calais — Two refugees walk after crossing the fence as they attempt to access the Channel Tunnel in Frethun, near Calais, France, Aug. 8, 2015. Reuters

A teenager was killed near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, France, after he was struck by a freight train, reported BBC Thursday. The boy, believed to be between 15-17 years old and from east Africa, is the 11th person to die in or near the tunnel while attempting to reach Britain since late June.

A French spokesman from Eurotunnel in France said paramedics were called to the scene after a person was found unconscious near the rail line. Local officials told the outlet the train hit the teen at about 2:00 a.m. local time as he attempted to cross the tracks.

"Upon arrival, they found the body of a migrant, believed to be a minor from Africa. An investigation is underway," the local prefecture said in a statement, according to the Independent. Officials said they believe the teen could be Eritrean or Sudanese.

Following the addition of new security measures, Eurotunnel, which connects France and Britain, has said attempts from refugees to get into the terminal have fallen to about 150 per night, down from about 2,000 earlier in the year.

An aerial view shows tents and shelters at the makeshift camp called "The New Jungle" in Calais, France, Sept. 20, 2015. Reuters

Amid a continued refugee crisis throughout Europe, an estimated 5,000 refugees fleeing countries including Syria, Libya and Eritrea are thought to be camped in and an around the French port town of Calais. Peter Sutherland, the United Nations special representative on migration, has said he was shocked by the terrible conditions at the makeshift campgrounds in Calais dubbed the "jungle."

I cannot easily recover from the shock of Calais.the French and British governments should rapidly respond to the horrible conditions.
— Peter Sutherland (@PDSutherlandUN) September 23, 2015

A man died last week after he was electrocuted at the Eurotunnel entrance, later found on the roof of a freight train. Before that others died from falling or being hit by cars.

Britain has committed to taking in 20,000 refugees from Syria, who have started arriving, but from camps outside of Calais, according to the Huffington Post. European Union officials Wednesday pledged an additional $1.1 billion to help the United Nations support Syrian refugees in the Middle East.