The body of a man, likely an illegal immigrant, was found overnight in the Channel Tunnel linking France and Britain, the tunnel's operator Eurotunnel said today.
The man, whose age and nationality had not yet been determined, probably fell from a train bound for Britain that he was hiding on, Eurotunnel spokesman Mr Francois Borel said.
His corpse was discovered between the rail tracks by a maintenance team, he said.
The death is the second fatal accident reported in the tunnel so far this year. In 2001, at least seven illegal immigrants died trying to sneak into Britain.
The Channel Tunnel has come under regular assault by immigrants, most of them from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia, who try to pass through on freight trains or on foot to reach Britain.
Eurotunnel last week announced a €188 million (164 million dollar) loss for last year, in part caused by the hefty cost of security in trying to prevent the nightly attempts by the immigrants.
It has also unsuccessfully sought to close a refugee camp run by the Red Cross near the entry to the Channel Tunnel in France. The request was turned down by a French court earlier this month.
AFP