At least 12 people have died and two others are missing after a boat carrying dozens of people seeking asylum in the UK was “ripped open” in the Channel.
French interior minister Gérald Darmanin said several people had been injured in the “terrible shipwreck” off Cap Gris-Nez on Tuesday morning.
The boat was carrying 65 people, the news channel BFMTV reported, citing an official statement. The French coastguard said more than 50 people had been rescued about 45km southwest of Calais. The majority of those in the boat were from Africa and notably from Eritrea, a local French official told reporters.
Mr Darmanin said French rescue services had been mobilised to look for missing people. “All state services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims,”he said.
Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel, a coastal town near Boulogne-sur-Mer where casualties are being treated, said: “Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open. It’s a big drama.”
British home secretary Yvette Cooper branded the incident “horrifying and deeply tragic” as she said “vital” efforts to dismantle “dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs” and to boost border security “must proceed apace”.
In the past week, more than 2,000 people seeking asylum have arrived in the UK on small boats. More than 600 arrived on August 28th in 10 boats, while 351 arrived on September 2nd in six vessels.
The latest tragedy comes after two migrants died on August 11th and another 50 were rescued as they attempted to cross the waters. On July 19th, one person died after being rescued from the Channel; another person died a few days earlier when a boat carrying 72 people deflated.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of Britain’s Refugee Council, said the number of deaths this year in the English Channel was “shockingly high” and called on the UK government to develop safe routes for people escaping war and famine.
“It is a devastating trend that shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multipronged approach to reduce dangerous Channel crossings,” he said. Enforcement alone is not the solution. Heightened security and policing measures on the French coast have led to increasingly perilous crossings, launching from more dangerous locations and in flimsy, overcrowded vessels.
“In addition to taking action against the criminal gangs themselves, the government must develop a plan to improve and expand safe routes for those seeking safety,” he said.“People risk their lives out of desperation, fleeing violence and persecution in countries like Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan in search of safety. We must create effective and humane pathways for those seeking refuge to reduce the need for dangerous crossings and prevent further tragedies,” he said.
The English Channel is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making crossing on small boats dangerous. People smugglers typically overload rickety dinghies, often leaving them barely afloat trying to reach British shores.
The worst maritime disaster in the xhannel for 30 years took place in on November 24th, 2021, when 31 people died. They had repeatedly made SOS calls to French and UK emergency services, but no help was sent.
Tackling illegal immigration has been a priority for both the British and French governments. More than 2,000 people have arrived in Britain on small boats over the past seven days, according to UK government figures.
Last week, French president Emmanuel Macron and British prime minister Keir Starmer pledged to work closer together to dismantle migrant smuggling routes. – Guardian/Reuters
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024