Sudanese man dies after falling from under lorry

A MAN from the Sudan who is believed to have travelled to the the UK from Calais while clinging to the bottom of a lorry has died after falling beneath the vehicle’s wheels.

A Sudanese man died after falling from the underside of a moving lorry on the M25. Picture: PA

Officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command are appealing for witnesses to the fatal fail-to-stop traffic collision that took place at 7pm yesterday between junctions 24 and 25 of the M25.

Two men from the Sudan are believed to have climbed underneath a foreign HGV in the French port of Calais at around 11am and wedged themselves into position, Scotland Yard said.

The vehicle they were concealed beneath boarded the Eurostar and arrived in England about 40 minutes later.

The vehicle travelled toward London and joined the M25. At approximately 7pm the two men, still clinging to the underside of the HGV, had become extremely cold and decided to leave the lorry.

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTSMAN

• Subscribe to our daily newsletter (requires registration) and get the latest news, sport and business headlines delivered to your inbox every morning

• You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google +

While the HGV was stationary in lane one of the motorway, one of the men worked himself free and clambered down the nearby grass verge.

Police said the second man attempted to do the same, but the lorry began to move off and he is believed to have fallen beneath the rear wheels of the lorry suffering fatal injuries.

A member of the public stopped his vehicle and pulled the injured man to the edge of the carriageway. He then drove off. A second member of the public stopped his vehicle and offered assistance.

London’s Air Ambulance attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Traffic on the M25 and surrounding routes suffered major delays due to a road closure.

Officers are appealing to anyone who saw the incident to come forward.

Anyone with information should contact the Roads and Transport Policing Command witness line on 0208 991 9555 or dial 101 and ask for Alperton Traffic Garage.

SCOTSMAN TABLET AND IPHONE APPS

• Download your free 30-day trial for our iPad, Android and Kindle apps

• Keep up to date with all aspects of Scottish life with The Scotsman iPhone app, completely free to download and use