A refugee boat capsizes during the crossing to Great Britain. French helpers pull dozens of people out of the water. But there are also deaths.
Twelve people died off the coast of northern France when a refugee boat capsized in the English Channel. Two people are missing and others were injured, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said.
The maritime prefecture announced that the rescue operation off the coastal town of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer was ongoing. 65 people were pulled from the water, twelve of whom were found dead. Some of those rescued are receiving emergency medical treatment. Numerous ships and helicopters are being used in the rescue operation. All migrants on the capsized boat, which was heading for Great Britain, fell into the sea.
Interior Minister Darmanin spoke of a “terrible shipwreck”. “All state agencies are mobilized to find the missing and take care of the victims.” The minister wanted to arrive at the scene of the accident in the late afternoon.
The broadcaster France 3 reported on a boat overloaded with migrants. They had no life jackets. “I am lost for words, it makes my blood run cold,” Dany Patoux, head of the migrant aid organization Osmose 62, told the broadcaster when he saw the body bags on the quay.
“We are shocked by the tragic loss of life in the latest incident in the English Channel,” said Enver Solomon, head of the British refugee charity Refugee Council. “The death toll in the English Channel this year has been shockingly high. This is a devastating trend that shows that a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach is urgently needed to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.”
Migrants repeatedly cross the English Channel to reach Great Britain. They often make the journey in small rubber dinghies. The crossing is dangerous, also because the channel is used by many large ships. People often lose their lives during the crossings. Most recently, 31 people, including five women and a little girl, died when a boat sank off the northern French coast in November 2021.
Britain has been trying to curb migration across the English Channel for some time, with French help, and is paying France millions to do so. The previous conservative government wanted to deter migrants with tough measures – 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 power with his social democratic Labour Party since July, has overturned the plan after courts and human rights organizations also sharply criticized it. Starmer has announced that he wants to take stronger action against people-trafficking gangs. Just a few days ago, Starmer consulted with French President Emmanuel Macron about how to deal with migration across the English Channel.
