Janice R. Andrews
Five migrants lost their life in a tragic event while trying to cross the English Channel, a French maritime officer .
The catastrophe transpired in the early hours of Sunday morning, as roughly 70 individuals attempted to board a tiny boat from a beach near Wimereux, south of Calais.
Numerous people were retrieved from the ocean during a terrifying rescue operation after the ship capsized. It was revealed that four of the dead were from Syria and Iraq. One survivor is in critical condition and has been evacuated to a local hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, as confirmed by the French marine prefecture.
Around 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT), the boat left the French coast for England, where the terrible occurrence happened soon after. The ship ran into trouble as people attempted to board it, causing an emergency at sea.
According to the local daily La Voix du Nord, a tugboat patrolling the shore found the victims, and several police cars, a French Navy helicopter, and over fifty firefighters were called in to aid in the rescue efforts.
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, stressed that these heartbreaking fatalities ought to be a “wake-up call” for prompt action, which includes creating safe routes for people escaping conflict areas.
This event comes barely a day after the first documented small boat crossing of the year. The Home Office blames unfavourable weather circumstances for the current dip in crossings, which lasted until January 11. Even though the 2023 tentative total of 29,437 crossings is less than the record-breaking 2022 amount, it is still the second-highest annual total ever recorded.
Politicians have sent their condolences in the wake of the incident; Foreign Secretary David Cameron described it as “heartbreaking.” Lord Cameron emphasised that the UK government provides substantial help to French authorities and considered the Rwanda bill’s passing to be “essential” in preventing these dangerous cross-Cherish crossings. Some asylum seekers are to be sent to Rwanda by the bill.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, supported concentrating on destroying the criminal networks that enable irregular crossings while acknowledging the horrific deaths and rejecting the Rwanda plan.
This incident occurs in the context of a recent French study that raises questions about intelligence sharing between the two countries by claiming that the UK has not given enough information regarding small boat movements across the Channel.
