A boat that overturned in the English Channel claimed the lives of at least 12 persons, reports RTE.
After rescuing as many as sixty-five persons off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez, the French coastguard verified the fatalities.
Following the disaster, a government minister advocated for a migration pact with the UK. A local French official stated that the majority of people who perished were from Africa, specifically Eritrea.
The event was described as “horrifying and deeply tragic” by UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who also stated that “vital” measures to strengthen border security and destroy “dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs” “must proceed apace”, reports RTE.
Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister of France, called it a “terrible shipwreck” in a post on X, the old Twitter: “The provisional toll stands at 12 dead, two missing and several injured. All government services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims,” reports RTE.
The boat’s bottom “ripped open,” according to Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel, which is close to Boulogne-sur-Mer and is where the injured are being treated.
The French coast guard said that every person on board the boat ended up in the ocean, with some migrants requiring emergency medical attention.
Ms. Cooper stated, “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives, and all those who have been seriously injured.” She added that she was in contact with Mr. Darmanin and was kept informed of the situation, reports RTE.
With these most recent deaths, the total number of fatalities at Channel crossings this year has exceeded thirty.
Nine of the deaths from 2024’s Channel crossings have occurred since the beginning of July, according to data compiled by the French coastguard till today.
Twelve migrants are believed to have died or gone missing in the previous year, reports RTE.
As of January this year, 226 migrants, including 35 children, are estimated to be missing or to have died after attempting to cross the Channel, according to the International Organisation for Migration, which keeps track of these fatalities as part of its Missing Migrant Project.
As they mourned the most recent maritime death toll, charities and activists urged immediate action to limit Channel crossings.
According to Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, the number of fatalities in the Channel this year has been “shockingly high” and the “devastating trend shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous crossings”, reports RTE.
He went on, “Enforcement alone is not the solution,” urging the government to provide asylum seekers with additional secure and authorised pathways.
The British Red Cross said: “Nobody risks their life travelling across the English Channel in a small boat unless they feel they have no other choice,” reports RTE.
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