Refugee Killed on Train’s Roof

CALAIS, France — An illegal immigrant trying to sneak into Britain was electrocuted Saturday while hiding atop a freight train headed toward the Channel Tunnel, the French rail operator said.

Several dozen refugees had tried to hide aboard the train but were discovered, the French national railway company SNCF said. The victim, a man about 20 years old, escaped the security check and remained on board. He was electrocuted when the train passed under power lines near Frethun, in northern France.

Neither the victim’s identity nor his nationality was known, but he had been staying at a Red Cross center in northern France that has become a magnet for Afghans, Kurds and others hoping to slip into Britain.

French authorities have been severely criticized for maintaining the refugee camp.