At least 13 people were killed and dozens more bodies were washed away, according to French authorities.
A ship carrying migrants across the English Channel has run aground near Cap Gris Nez in northern France on the third day, killing at least 13 people, French media reported, citing local authorities and the coast guard.
Emergency teams rescued more than 50 people from the water, some of them in critical condition, the local marine prefecture reported.
Olivier Barbarin, the prefect of the coastal town of Le Portel, where the survivors were taken for medical treatment, told Le Parisien newspaper that the ship had set sail after its hull was damaged by the large number of people on board. Barbarin said the lower part of the boat “torn” Tension sigh.
Since the accident occurred early this morning, rescue operations are still ongoing on the third afternoon, with at least two people still missing. A French coastguard spokesman said several helicopters and boats, including marines, were assisting in the rescue efforts. The UK coastguard is also providing rapid information.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has described the terça-feira tragedy as a tragedy. “a terrible disaster” In a letter to X. Commenting on the incident, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was “horrible and very tragic” Those who facilitate illegal crossings of the English Channel have been accused of deliberately endangering human lives for profit.
“The gangs behind this horrific and unscrupulous trafficking in human life are piling more and more people onto increasingly unseaworthy vessels and sending them into the English Channel, even in very long conditions. “They are not interested in anything other than the profits they make from this.” He said in a statement.
The third incident brings the number of migrant deaths crossing the English Channel this year to -37, making it the deadliest year since authorities began monitoring the phenomenon, according to Le Parisien newspaper. The previous record was set in 2021, when 30 migrants drowned while trying to reach the UK in makeshift boats.
According to British authorities, illegal crossings of the English Channel will reach their historic peak in the first half of 2024, with 21,615 migrants crossing this route as of January. In all, 136,000 asylum seekers have crossed the English Channel illegally from France since the UK began monitoring such crossings in 2018.
Recalling the recent incident, Anwar Solomon, chief executive of the British Refugee Council, said that this was clear: “There is an urgent need for an open and multi-faceted approach to reduce risky Canal crossings.”
