At least 12 migrants have died after their boat sank trying to cross the English Channel, the French coastguard said on Tuesday.- The coastguard confirmed the deaths after up to 65 people were rescued off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez on Tuesday.
British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called 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.”
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin described it as a "terrible shipwreck,” adding in a post on X: "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,” Darmanin added Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer where the casualties are being treated, said that the bottom of the boat "ripped open.”
All of the people on board the dinghy ended up in the water, with several of the migrants needing emergency medical care, according to the French coastguard.
Cooper said she was in touch with Darmanin and was being kept updated on the situation, adding: "Our hearts go out to the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives, and all those who have been seriously injured.” The latest casualties mean more than 30 people have died in Channel crossings so far this year.
Before Tuesday, the French coastguard had recorded at least 19 Channel crossing deaths in 2024, including nine since the start of July.
Last year, 12 migrants are thought to have died or were recorded as missing. The International Organisation for Migration, which records Channel crossing deaths as part of its Missing Migrant Project, estimates 226 people including 35 children are missing or have died after attempting the crossing as of January this year.
Charities and campaigners reiterated calls for urgent changes to curb Channel crossings as they lamented the latest loss of life at sea.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the number of deaths in the Channel this year had been "shockingly high” and the "devastating trend shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous crossings.” (DPA)