Desperate migrants storm France’s Channel Tunnel to reach Britain 6 Photos . Updated: 30 Jul 2015, 01:45 PM IST Livemint Thousands of illegal migrants, refugees from war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East are risking their lives, trying night after night to storm the railway tunnel that leads to England 1/6For two successive nights, migrants trying to travel illegally to Britain have made more than 1,000 attempts to gain entry to the terminal in France used by trains to make the 35 minute crossing under the English Channel. Reuters 2/6The English Channel is a focus of the broader European crisis because many migrants are trying to travel to Britain, where they believe they will find it easier to secure work, and because Britain does not operate an identity card system. Reuters 3/6Under cover of night, migrants climb over fences and other barriers at the Eurotunnel compound on the French side of the Channel to board freight trains bound for Britain. AFP 4/6One man, identified as a Sudanese migrant, was crushed to death and another was electrocuted in Paris while making an attempt to crossover. Nine migrants have died trying to make it through the tunnel since the beginning of June. Reuters 5/6The migrants hide themselves amid the trucks and freight being shuttled by rail from Calais to southern England. AFP 6/6Policemen try to prevent migrants from reaching the Channel Tunnel in Coquelles near Calais. Overwhelmed authorities are fighting off hundreds of migrants, prompting France to beef up its police presence. AFP