Eurotunnel trains move illegal cargo

LILLE, France -- Freight train traffic in the Channel Tunnel was temporarily halted Tuesday after about 100 asylum-seekers tried to slip into the tunnel to enter Britain illegally, the French rail authority said.

Passenger trains were unaffected by the stoppage, which paralyzed freight train service.

between Britain and France for more than 10 hours, officials at the SNCF French rail authority said.

Eurotunnel estimates that it has stopped 18,500 refugees from reaching Britain in the first half of this year, prompting the company to spend more than $4 million to boost security at Coquelles, the freight terminal commonly used by refugees to cross to Britain.