A 31-year-old illegal migrant from the Ivory Coast was badly electrocuted after trying to escape a check by French police by climbing onto the roof of a train.
The incident occurred at the Menton Garavan railway station on Saturday near France’s border with Italy. According to Nice prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme, the man had boarded the train in Italy and climbed onto the roof to avoid police.
While on the roof, the man received a large electric shock and was severely injured, according to a report from the European Union-funded website InfoMigrants.
The migrant was taken by French authorities to a hospital in Nice and later to the burn ward of a Marseilles hospital. His condition is unclear, but the Italian online newspaper Riviera24 claims he may have died of his injuries.
The Italian news website also claims that another migrant may have died as a result of being electrocuted, as well.
French newspaper Ouest France reported that a 19-year-old from Guinea was electrocuted at the Menton Garavan railway station on Friday while trying to avoid a police check, sustaining serious injuries resulting in him also being taken to the Marseilles burn ward.
According to InfoMigrants, at least 20 illegal immigrants have died at the French-Italian border in recent years, including a 17-year-old Bangladeshi girl who was also electrocuted attempting to board a train.
The border area between France and Italy has remained active despite prior coronavirus travel restrictions.
Earlier this year, reports suggested that the Italian city of Ventimiglia had seen hundreds of migrants gather in the city waiting to cross into France, resulting in inter-ethnic brawls.
NGOs and other pro-migrant groups operate along the border, such as the NGO Talità Kum, which runs a shelter in the Italian town of Oulx for migrants who are often attempting to cross into France illegally.
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