Migrant electrocuted on roof of Eurostar train heading to London
A man identified as a migrant has died after being electrocuted while climbing on top of a Eurostar train in Paris that was heading to London.
The unnamed man suffered fatal injuries when he came into contact with the live wire above the stationary train at Gare du Nord station last Thursday, according to police sources.
Security camera footage showed the man crossing tracks from another platform at the station at around 10pm local time on Feb 8 before suffering the electric shock.
Le Parisien newspaper reported that his body had burst into flames upon contact with the live wire. He died at the scene half an hour later, prosecutors in the French capital said.
Police confirmed that while they were convinced the man was a migrant, the condition of his body after the electric shock did not allow for more precise identification.
The incident was reported to have caused some disruption to the scheduled service of the Eurostar trains.
Border police to lead investigation
Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into the circumstances of the death, which will be led by border police at Gare du Nord.
Eurostar trains leaving from Gare du Nord link Paris with Brussels and Amsterdam, as well as London via the Channel Tunnel.
The death comes after Paris and London said last week they would step up efforts to prevent irregular crossings by migrants to the UK, most of which are by small boats across the Channel.
The last time a migrant died from electrocution after attempting to stow away on top of a Eurostar train was in 2017.
While the number of migrants crossing the Channel via trucks and trains is thought to have dropped in recent years because of higher security, small boat crossings have rocketed.
Last Saturday, 124 migrants made the crossing on three small boats, the Home Office confirmed. The latest arrivals bring the total for the year to 1,506, down from the 2,072 recorded by the same point last year but up from 1,339 in 2022.
The number of people intercepted by Border Force in the second week of February was 171, while the highest number who crossed in a single day so far this year was 358 on Jan 17.
