"Terrible shipwreck" Twelve dead in boat accident in the English Channel

Twelve people have died after a refugee boat capsized in the English Channel off the coast of northern France. Two people are missing and others have been injured, according to France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

Keystone-SDA

03.09.2024, 16:09

03.09.2024, 20:34

SDA

The maritime prefecture announced that the rescue operation off the coastal town of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer was continuing. 65 people had been pulled out of the water, twelve of whom could only be rescued dead. Some of those rescued are receiving emergency medical treatment. Numerous ships and helicopters are involved in the rescue operation. All the migrants on the capsized boat, which was heading for Great Britain, had fallen into the sea.

Interior Minister Darmanin spoke of a "terrible shipwreck". "All government agencies have been mobilized to find the missing and care for the victims." The minister planned to arrive at the scene of the accident in the late afternoon.

Boat was overloaded with migrants without life jackets

France 3 reported that the boat was overloaded with migrants. They did not have life jackets. "I have no words, it makes my blood run cold," said the chairman of the migrant aid organization Osmose 62, Dany Patoux, to the broadcaster in view of the body bags on the quay.

"We are devastated by the tragic deaths in the latest incident in the English Channel," said the head of the British refugee aid organization Refugee Council, Enver Solomon. "The death toll in the English Channel this year has been shockingly high. This is a devastating trend which shows that a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach is urgently needed to reduce dangerous crossings of the Channel."

Time and time again, migrants cross the Channel to reach the UK. They often make the journey in small rubber dinghies. The crossing is dangerous, partly because the estuary is used by many large ships. People die time and again during the crossings. Most recently, in November 2021, 31 people died when a boat sank off the coast of northern France, including five women and a little girl.

Great Britain combats migration across the English Channel

The UK has been trying to stem migration across the English Channel for some time, including with French help, and is paying millions to France to do so. The previous Conservative government wanted to deter migrants with a tough approach - for example with the plan to deport them to Rwanda regardless of their actual origin.

However, the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been in government with his Social Democratic Labour Party since July, overturned the plan after the courts and human rights organizations sharply criticized it. Instead, Starmer has announced that he wants to take stronger action against people smuggling gangs. Just a few days ago, Starmer consulted with French President Emmanuel Macron on how to deal with migration across the English Channel.