Kurd stabbed during Chunnel camp scuffle

An Iraqi Kurd was stabbed today during a scuffle with another immigrant at the overcrowded Sangatte refugee centre near the Channel Tunnel in northern France.

The man, aged about 20, was wounded in the chest and throat, but his life was not in danger, officials said.

It was the second violent incident in days involving refugees staying at the Red Cross centre which is used as a stepping stone by refugees trying to sneak into Britain on trains.

On Wednesday, another refugee was shot to death during a scuffle between some 30 people.

The centre, set up in 1999 in an abandoned warehouse, has been the site of frequent fighting between refugees, many of whom come from Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. It was meant to house 650 people but its population sometimes swells to 1,600.

Freight traffic under the tunnel has been reduced because of the stowaway problem, costing millions of pounds.

Officials in Britain - and many in France - want to see the centre closed down.