The undocumented were trying to reach British shores from France, a voyage that has been attempted by at least 31,500 people this year.
Tragedy in the English Channel. At least 31 migrants died this Wednesday off the coast of Calais, in northern France, when a boat with which some thirty people tried to cross illegally to the United Kingdom was wrecked, as confirmed last night by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
A fishing boat alerted to the presence of several castaways at sea. The Gallic authorities immediately dispatched three ships and two helicopters. Two migrants were rescued alive, although they are in serious condition due to hypothermia. At least there is one missing. Among those killed are five women and a young girl, said the minister, who traveled to Calais after the tragedy. The nationality of the victims is unknown.
“France will not let the English Channel become a graveyard,” promised Emmanuel Macron. “We are all moved by this tragedy,” said the president, who asked his European counterparts for more resources for the border agency Frontex and an emergency meeting of ministers responsible for facing the migration challenge.
Attempts to cross the English Channel illegally from the French shores have increased in recent months, sparking tensions between London and Paris. Macron said in a statement that, since the beginning of 2021, 1,552 traffickers have been arrested on the north coast and that 44 human trafficking networks have been dismantled. Despite this, there have been, since January 1, 47,000 attempts to cross into the UK and 7,800 migrants have been rescued.
The worst sinister
It is the deadliest accident since 2018 saw a spike in attempts to cross the Channel after the closure for migrants from the port of Calais and the Eurotunnel, routes used by them to reach England.
The balance of this tragedy by itself exceeds the total number of deaths in the English Channel since 2018, when the number of migrants trying to reach the British shores on board of small boats began to increase in the face of increased surveillance in ports and in the tunnel that connects France and England. Before this shipwreck, the balance for 2021 was three dead and four missing. In 2020, six people lost their lives and another three disappeared. In 2019, four deaths were registered.
According to the French Maritime Perfecture, at least 31,500 people have tried to reach the shores of the United Kingdom since the beginning of the year. Some 7,800 migrants were rescued and “seven died or disappeared”, according to data collected up to last Friday.
The transit of irregular immigrants in the English Channel has increased since 2018 despite the danger linked to the density of maritime traffic, strong currents and low water temperatures. This phenomenon generated tensions between France and the United Kingdom. London accused Paris of not doing enough to prevent this, although both countries pledged to “strengthen” their cooperation.
The United Kingdom, which months ago accused France of not doing enough to stop the arrival of migrants to its shores, says that 22,000 managed to cross the English Channel in the first ten months of the year. Despite the tension between the two countries due to this phenomenon, London and Paris promised to “strengthen” their cooperation, after the arrival of 1,185 migrants to the English shores on November 11, a record.
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