source: OpenDemocracy

published: 6 February 2024

Image Credit: Alberto Lugli at www.FreeRangeStock.com

Despite fences and even moats, dozens of people have died trying to get to the UK via the Eurotunnel. Omid Jamil Ali never saw England. The 21-year-old Kurd left Sharbarza in northern Iraq in August 2001, hoping to reach the United Kingdom. He crossed into Iran and then into Turkey, reaching Italy less than two weeks after his departure. From there he went to Calais.

It was the end of his journey. He died on 18 October 2001 after a fall near the Channel tunnel.

He is one of 391 migrants who died on the border between the UK, France and Belgium between 1 January 1999 and 1 January 2024, and whose lives and deaths are recounted in this series.

Young men searching for a future

On the French side, the Eurotunnel site covers more than 650 hectares, forming a rail loop that extends north and west into the rocky coastline of the Calais region. The embarkation terminal for trucks and cars is located in the commune of Coquelles, while the tunnel starts a little further on, at Peuplingues.

“Shortly before entering, the trains are forced to slow down,” said Arun Kundnani, a researcher who documented Ali’s death.

Positioned on a bridge overlooking the tracks, Ali waited for the right moment to leap onto a moving train. “He jumped onto a wagon, but fell when the train accelerated,” Kundnani said. His body wasn’t found until it reached Folkestone on the English side.

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