Downing Street said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed during a phone call on the “urgency to strengthen their joint efforts to prevent these crossings, and to do everything in their power to stop gangs that put lives at risk.”
“Both leaders were clear that today’s tragic loss of life is a stark reminder of the need to keep all options on the table to stop these deadly crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs behind them,” the spokesperson added.
According to the French authorities, among the dead were a girl and five women, one of whom was pregnant. The nationalities of the victims have not yet been announced.
The French authorities arrested four smugglers suspected of “directly linked” to the sinking of the boat that killed the migrants in the Channel Channel, as confirmed by Interior Minister Gerald Darmannan.
“I want to say from here that those responsible for this unfortunate situation are the smugglers,” the minister added from Calais, calling for a “coordinated and harsh international response” to this tragedy “which affects us all.”
The French president called for an “immediate reinforcement” of the European Frontex agency and an “emergency” European meeting, pledging that “France will not allow the Channel to turn into a cemetery.”
The French president requested “the immediate reinforcement of the means available to Frontex” at the external borders of the European Union, according to the Elysee Palace.
The French president called for an “urgent meeting of European ministers concerned with the challenge posed by migration,” saying: “All measures will be taken to find and convict those responsible.”
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