Five dead after shootings near Dunkirk

Five people have died in shootings in northern France, including near a migrant camp, and a 22-year-old man has turned himself in to police, according to French media.

Four people – including two security guards and two men staying in the camp – were fatally shot in Loon-Plage, a stretch of coastline near Dunkirk, the city’s chief prosecutor Charlotte Huet said in a statement, as reported by French media.

The gunman also confessed to an earlier shooting in the nearby town of Wormhout, the prosecutor added.

Dunkirk’s Mayor Patrice Vergriete said the motive behind the attacks “remains unknown”.

Several firearms were found in the suspect’s car and he was previously unknown to police, the prosecutor’s statement said.

All five murders were reportedly committed within less than two hours in the Dunkirk area.

According to the prosecutor, a 29-year-old man was killed with “several gunshots” at 15:15 local time (14:15 GMT) outside his house in Wormhout, a village just south of the city.

About 45 minutes later, two security guards aged 33 and 37 were killed near a port in Loon-Plage, just west of Dunkirk, Huet added.

Minutes later, two other men aged 19 and 30 were also shot dead. They were staying in the nearby migrant camp, the prosecutor said.

BBC News has contacted local authorities for comment.

Mayor Vergriete described the incident as a “tragedy” and said “an individual coldly murdered several people” in the area.

Xavier Bertrand, head of the region’s assembly, confirmed on X that five people had died in a “tragic event”.

French media reported a large emergency services presence close to a migrant camp, though it is unclear if the shootings took place inside a settlement.

Loon-Plage is home to several temporary settlements housing migrants. It is near to Calais and the Strait of Dover, which is the narrowest part of the Channel.

Similar camps along France’s northern coast have been used by people attempting to reach the UK via small boats.