Migrant killed and 5 injured in shooting at France migrant camp | World | News
A migrant has been killed and five others injured in a shooting in France. The incident happened at about 10am on Saturday (June 14). A child, aged two, is among those injured at the Loon-Plage camp near Dunkirk. Two teams of paramedics, firefighters and a helicopter have been at the scene. The victims are believed to be from Africa, according to regional daily La Voix Du Nord.
Two people were seriously injured – one adult who was taken to a hospital in Dunkirk and the two-year-old, who was flown to a hospital in Lille. Three others sustained minor injuries and were also taken to a hospital in Dunkirk. Two people have been arrested, according to news outlet France Info. These are a man and a 17-year-old boy.
The man who died is believed to be 24 years old, according to the French weekly news magazine, Valeurs Actuelles. The incident is reported to have happened near a food distribution hub.
There are a number of temporary camps housing migrants at Loon-Plage. It is close to Calais and the Strait of Dover, which is the shortest distaince between the UK and France across the English Channel.
News of the shooting comes after more than 900 people crossed the Channel in small boats in one day.
Figures from the Home Office show 919 migrants made the perilous journey in 14 boats on Friday (June 13).
It takes the provisional, annual total to 16,183. This is 42% higher than the same point last year and 79% up on the same date in 2023.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.
“The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.”
The spokesperson said that is why the Government has put together a “serious” plan to take down these networks “at every stage” and why it is investing up to an extra £280million per year by 2028-29 in the Border Security Command.
As evidence of the Government’s efforts, the spokesperson pointed to international intelligence-sharing, enhanced enforcement operations in northern France, tougher laws in the UK, stronger international partnerships and enhanced efforts to tackle criminal gangs.
