At least 27 migrants drowned on Wednesday, after a boat trying to reach Britain capsized in the English Channel off the coast of France, recording one of the worst death tolls for those attempting to cross the channel.
France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, informed that the migrants who died included five women and a girl, who was part of a group whose “extremely fragile” boat was found completely deflated by rescuers, according to New York Times.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, “I am shocked, appalled, and deeply saddened by the loss of life at sea in the Channel.”
In a statement, calling for an immediate tightening of border controls and an increased crackdown on immigrant smugglers, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “France won’t let the Channel become a graveyard.”
According to New York Times, as per local maritime authorities, rescue ships and helicopters were sent out after a fishing vessel alerted them that several people were lost off the coast of Calais.
There have been nearly 47,000 attempts to cross the English Channel. This year, 7,800 migrants had been saved from shipwrecks, as per French officials.
In 2021, seven people had died or disappeared.
Darmanin said that four suspected traffickers accused of being directly linked to the crossing in a long inflatable boat have been arrested, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel said that the tragedy “serves as the starkest possible reminder of the dangers of these Channel crossings organized by ruthless criminal gangs,” according to CNN.
