PA Media/dpa
London
A two-year-old boy, a woman and two men have died in "two tragedies” off the coast of France, the Prefect of Pas-de-Calais region has confirmed.
Jacques Billant said that in the first incident on Saturday, the French coastguard responded to a boat carrying nearly 90 people on board which was suffering engine failure.
A total of 15 people were recovered from onboard to a tow vessel called l’Abeille, including the boy who was unconscious and despite a medical team being scrambled by helicopter, he was declared dead.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau posted on X that the boy had been "trampled to death.” Billant said that the other 14 migrants, including a 17-year-old who suffered burns to his legs, were taken to the port of Boulogne to receive care before being questioned by police.
The rest of the occupants were allowed to continue their journey to the UK, Billant said.
In the second incident, a boat with 83 people on board which had sailed from the Calais area, suffered several engine failures which caused panic on board leading to some of the occupants falling into the sea who were all rescued.
Billant said that when 71 migrants were transferred from the inflatable boat to the Flamant - a French navy patrol boat, three people were found unconscious at the bottom of the boat.
He said that they were "probably crushed and suffocated during the jostling and drowned in the 40 centimetres of water present in the boat.” He added: "Despite the intervention of the doctors, they were declared dead. They are two men and a woman, all three around 30 years old.” Billant said the remaining 12 occupants attempted to continue their journey across the Channel, but were eventually rescued again and taken back to France.
Billant said: "Two new tragedies occurred at sea this morning. The toll is very heavy, since we deeply regret the death of four people: two men, a woman and a child.” Billant told a press conference that the two incidents on Saturday followed previous fatal incidents on September 3 and 15 - and brings the total of deaths so far this year to 51.
He said that people-smugglers had separated children from their parents to go on the over-crowded boats, but did not specify if this included the boy who died.
The French official added: "Through the lure of profit and disregard for human life, smuggling networks are putting people at ever greater risk, not only adults but also more and more families with children and babies, to whom they sell crossings on a dangerous sea and in totally unsuitable boats.”
"This is literally leading them to accidents and death, as was the case on September 3, September 15 and again this morning.”