A fifth possible people smuggler has been arrested in connection with the migrant boat that sank off the coast of Calais on Wednesday. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reported this on Thursday, according to AFP news agency. At least 27 migrants were killed in the accident, including children. Earlier reported French media that it would be 31 people, but that number was eventually adjusted.
More is also known about the identity of the victims, for example, seven women and three children are said to have been on board and seventeen men. The French newspaper La Voix du Nord reported Thursday citing sources that the small inflatable boat carrying migrants may have been hit by a large container ship, while attempting to make the crossing from France across the Channel to the United Kingdom. Two people survived the accident. According to Minister Darmanin, the fifth arrested person, who was arrested on Wednesday evening, bought the dinghy in Germany.
British government: conduct patrols together
Since the beginning of this year, a record 23,000 people have tried to reach the UK across the Channel. 7,800 migrants have been rescued from the water. London threatened to push boats back to the coast of France in September. The situation is causing tensions between the two countries. After Wednesday’s disaster, an emergency meeting was held between French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Downing Street said on Thursday that it has proposed to the French government to conduct joint patrols along the French coast in the Channel. A spokesman for the British government told AFP news agency that London is prepared to provide financial aid for the control of the crossings, as well as deploy equipment. For example, a British helicopter was used in the rescue on Wednesday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, both government leaders responded to the disaster. “France will not allow the Channel to become a cemetery,” Macron said. He called for an emergency meeting of the European Union. Johnson said to Sky News to be “shocked and deeply saddened.”
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