Migrant Vessel 'rips open' in English Channel
At least 13 individuals lost their lives following a boat capsizing off the coast of France during an attempt to cross the English Channel, according to French authorities. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
At least 13 people have lost their lives, and dozens more have been rescued from the water, according to French authorities.
On Tuesday, a boat transporting migrants across the English Channel capsized and sank near Cap Gris-Nez in northern France, as reported by French media citing local and coast guard officials.
Emergency services rescued over 50 individuals from the water, with some in critical condition, the local maritime prefecture indicated.
Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel, the port town where survivors were taken for medical care, explained to Le Parisien that the vessel capsized after its hull gave way due to the excessive number of passengers. Barbarin stated that the bottom of the boat “ripped open” under the strain.
Although the incident occurred in the early morning, rescue operations continued into Tuesday afternoon, as at least two individuals were still believed to be missing. A spokesperson for the French coast guard noted that several helicopters and boats, including those from the navy, have been involved in the rescue efforts, with the UK coast guard also on standby.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin described Tuesday’s tragedy as a “terrible disaster” in a post on X. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper remarked that the situation was “horrifying and deeply tragic,” charging those who facilitate illegal Channel crossings with the willful endangerment of human lives for profit.
“The gangs behind this appalling and unscrupulous trafficking of human lives are cramming more and more people onto increasingly unseaworthy inflatable boats and sending them into the Channel even in very bad weather. They are not interested in anything except the profits they make from it,” she explained in a statement.
This shipwreck brings the number of migrant deaths while crossing the Channel to at least 37 for this year, making it the deadliest year on record since officials began tracking these incidents, according to data from Le Parisien. The previous high was set in 2021, when 30 migrants drowned while trying to reach the UK in makeshift boats.
British authorities have reported a record number of illegal Channel crossings in the first half of 2024, with 21,615 migrants arriving this way since January. Overall, nearly 136,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the Channel from France since 2018, when the UK began monitoring these arrivals.
In response to the recent tragedy, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the British Refugee Council, underscored “the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.”
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
On Tuesday, a boat transporting migrants across the English Channel capsized and sank near Cap Gris-Nez in northern France, as reported by French media citing local and coast guard officials.
Emergency services rescued over 50 individuals from the water, with some in critical condition, the local maritime prefecture indicated.
Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel, the port town where survivors were taken for medical care, explained to Le Parisien that the vessel capsized after its hull gave way due to the excessive number of passengers. Barbarin stated that the bottom of the boat “ripped open” under the strain.
Although the incident occurred in the early morning, rescue operations continued into Tuesday afternoon, as at least two individuals were still believed to be missing. A spokesperson for the French coast guard noted that several helicopters and boats, including those from the navy, have been involved in the rescue efforts, with the UK coast guard also on standby.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin described Tuesday’s tragedy as a “terrible disaster” in a post on X. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper remarked that the situation was “horrifying and deeply tragic,” charging those who facilitate illegal Channel crossings with the willful endangerment of human lives for profit.
“The gangs behind this appalling and unscrupulous trafficking of human lives are cramming more and more people onto increasingly unseaworthy inflatable boats and sending them into the Channel even in very bad weather. They are not interested in anything except the profits they make from it,” she explained in a statement.
This shipwreck brings the number of migrant deaths while crossing the Channel to at least 37 for this year, making it the deadliest year on record since officials began tracking these incidents, according to data from Le Parisien. The previous high was set in 2021, when 30 migrants drowned while trying to reach the UK in makeshift boats.
British authorities have reported a record number of illegal Channel crossings in the first half of 2024, with 21,615 migrants arriving this way since January. Overall, nearly 136,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the Channel from France since 2018, when the UK began monitoring these arrivals.
In response to the recent tragedy, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the British Refugee Council, underscored “the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.”
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
