A refugee boat capsizes while attempting to cross the English Channel to reach Great Britain. Twelve people die and two are still missing.
Boulogne – A refugee boat capsized in the English Channel during the crossing to Great Britain. Dozens of people were subsequently pulled out of the water by French helpers. Twelve people were found dead, two are missing. According to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, others were injured in the incident, the German Press Agency with.
The English Channel is often used by refugees in small rubber dinghies to reach Great Britain. The journey is dangerous and people often lose their lives. This is because the channel is also used by many large ships. Deutschlandfunk According to the report, this is the highest number of victims following an accident involving a refugee boat on the crossing to Great Britain in recent months. A total of 25 people have died on such a journey since the beginning of the year. There was also a boat accident in the Mediterranean a few months ago.
Refugee boat capsized in the English Channel on its way to Great Britain: Twelve people dead
According to the maritime prefecture, the rescue operation is ongoing with numerous ships and helicopters. 65 people have so far been pulled from the water off the northern French coastal town of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer, it says. Among those rescued are some who require emergency medical care. When the boat capsized, all of the passengers fell into the sea.
Britain has been trying to combat the dangerous crossing of the English Channel by refugees for some time, also with French support, for which the United Kingdom pays millions to France.
Britain and France have long been working together to combat migration across the English Channel
The former conservative government had previously attempted to curb this situation by deporting people to Rwanda, regardless of their origin. However, the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been in office since July and is governing with his social democratic Labour Party. After criticism from courts and human rights organisations of the former government’s plans, Starmer put an end to this. Instead, he announced that he would take stronger action against smuggling gangs. Starmer recently consulted with France’s President on migration across the English Channel. Emmanuel Macron.
More than 20,000 refugees crossed the English Channel in boats from January to August, it is said. That is three percent more than in the same period last year, but 18 percent less than in 2022. (dpa, gel)
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