First death of driver at Calais migrant blockade
A VAN driver has died in a crash near Calais caused by tree trunks placed on the road – the first death of a motorist since the migrant crisis began.
The vehicle, registered in Poland, burst into flames after slamming into a lorry forced to stop on a motorway after refugees erected the makeshift barrier.
They had hoped to use the barricade to get trucks heading to England to slow so they could clamber aboard.
It was the first death of a driver since the migrant crisis at France’s Channel ports began in 2014, although there have been numerous fatalities among asylum seekers trying to sneak into Britain by train or truck.
Last October, the Jungle migrant camp at Calais was razed and up to 8,000 people were relocated across France. But hundreds of migrants have returned to the area in the hope of reaching the UK and many regularly build roadblocks using tyres, rocks and trees, often setting them alight.
The doomed van struck one of three lorries blocked by the log barrier on the A16 near Guemps, eight miles east of Calais early yesterday. The identity of the driver, who died at the scene, is not yet known. Nine Eritreans were found in one of the lorries and taken into custody, said French police. They could face charges of manslaughter, impeding traffic and endangering the lives of others.
The death comes on the eve of the British school holidays, during which thousands of families are expected to drive through Calais heading on their summer break.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said his country ‘cannot allow this illegality to continue’ and added those responsible ‘must be taken to court [because] whether you are a migrant or French, you must obey French law.’
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the UK-based Road Haulage Association, said the organisation had previously warned of the risk facing drivers. ‘Our worst fears have become a reality,’ he said. ‘We have been predicting this for two years. The lives of innocent people, who want no more than to be able to go about their daily business in safety, are being put at risk by those whose only aim in life is to reach the UK. ‘The security forces currently in place cannot cope. It’s not just Calais itself that need protecting; it’s the approach roads too.’ He urged the French to use soldiers to safeguard routes. Up to 600 migrants are thought to be living around Calais – raising the prospect of further blockades.