Legal News
Immigrant Dies Following Eurostar Leap (21 October 2011)
Date: 21/10/2011
An immigrant who had been refused entry into the UK prised open the doors of the Eurostar train that was taking him back to Brussels and leapt to his death. The 22-year-old Albanian had arrived at London St. Pancras station but was refused entry into the country and voluntarily took the train back to Belgium. As the train travelled through Kent at speeds estimated to be greater than 100mph, the immigrant opened the doors and leapt from the train. An investigation is underway to determine whether the man was trying to escape from the train or whether he desired to take his own life.
A spokesperson for the British Transport Police claimed that the death was being treated as “unexplained”. A message on Eurostar's official website told visitors at the time of the incident that its services had been suspended “due to a person on the high speed line”. Eurostar later resumed its services yet passengers were subject to delays. The spokesperson was unable to confirm the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
Richard Ashworth, an MEP for South East England and Conservative spokesman on agriculture and rural affairs, was travelling on the train at the time of the incident. Mr. Ashworth told of how he could not believe that passengers could prise open a door of a train travelling at high speed. Mr. Ashworth has criticised Eurostar for the lack of communication over the incident, claiming that passengers were forced to rely on social networking sites to discover the details regarding what had happened.
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