Five dead after shooting near Dunkirk

Five people were killed in shootings in northern France, including near a migrant camp, and a 22-year-old man surrendered to police, according to French media.

Four people, including two security guards and two men staying at the camp, were shot dead on Loon-Plage, a stretch of coast near Dunkirk, the city’s chief prosecutor, Charlotte Huet, said in a statement, according to French media reported.

The attacker also confessed to taking part in a previous shooting in the nearby town of Wormhout, the prosecutor added.

Dunkirk Mayor Patrice Vergriete said the motive for the attacks “remains unknown.”

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

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

According to the prosecutor, a 29-year-old man was killed by “several shots” at 3:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. GMT) in front of his home in Wormhout, a town south of the city.

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

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

BBC News has contacted local authorities for comment.

Mayor Vergriete called the incident a “tragedy” and stated that “an individual coldly murdered several people” in the area.

Xavier Bertrand, president of the regional assembly, confirmed on day X that five people had died in a “tragic event.”

French media reported a large presence of emergency services near a migrant camp, although it is unclear whether the shootings took place inside a settlement.

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

Similar camps along the northern coast of France have been used by people trying to reach the UK in small boats.