France: Toddler among 26 migrants found in refrigerated lorry near Dunkirk

The toddler, whose Iranian mother was also in the lorry, was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia after the migrants were found in the lorry.

Twenty-six migrants, including a two-year-old, were discovered in a refrigerated lorry at a ferry terminal near the northern French port of Dunkirk, the emergency services say.

Migrants and refugees walk in a field towards the Marcel Doret industrial estate, near the French Channel port of Calais, northern France. (AFP FILE)

The toddler, whose Iranian mother was also in the lorry, was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia after the migrants were found in the lorry early on Saturday as they attempted to reach Britain.

“The ferry terminal security service contacted emergency services after the discovery of a group of 26 migrants in a refrigerated lorry,” the regional rescue services authority said in a statement.

The two-year-old, suffering from “mild hypothermia”, was taken to hospital in Dunkirk for treatment.

Migrants from West Asia and Africa regularly attempt to reach Britain from France after having travelled up through Europe, smuggling aboard lorries about to cross the Channel by ferry or the Eurotunnel.