Numerously, at least 8 individuals have perished while endeavoring to traverse the English Channel.
Sad occurrence took place on a Saturday night close to midnight, as authorities spotted a boat packed with many individuals in trouble close to a shore in Ambleteuse's northern town.
A French emergency ship was sent to the location, and medical aid was given to 53 migrants on the beach, as declared in an announcement from the French maritime authorities managing the English Channel and North Sea.
“Regrettably, eight individuals perished,” the statement claimed.
No one was found during the marine search, it went on to say.
Six individuals, including a ten-month-old baby suffering from hypothermia, were taken to the hospital in an emergency situation, Jacques Billant, the Pas-de-Calais prefect, told French media on Sunday. He mentioned that the survivors were from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran.
The inflatable boat, carrying 59 individuals, launched from the Vimont beach's coastline and crashed onto the rocks shortly thereafter, according to the prefect. “The boat appeared to be torn into pieces on the rocks,” he said.
Fifty-one survivors were moved to a reception center in Toulouse, as per local authorities. An investigation has been launched by the Boulogne-sur-mer prosecutor’s office.
The Saturday deaths occurred approximately two weeks after a boat carrying migrants disintegrated in the English Channel while they were attempting to reach Great Britain from northern France, leaving twelve deceased, officials stated.
British officials expressed sorrow over another English Channel tragedy.
“It’s terrible,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said to the BBC. “It’s an additional loss of life.”
The new Labour Party government has committed to combating criminal gangs and has collaborated with European partners to curb their activities, Lammy said.
Europe's stringent asylum rules, growing xenophobia, and negative treatment of migrants have been driving them northwards. At least 46 migrants had perished while trying to reach the UK this year, Billant pointed out.
At least 137,563 individuals have arrived in the United Kingdom following their journey across the English Channel from France since 2018, according to UK Home Office statistics. On Saturday alone, 14 boats carrying 801 migrants reached Britain.
French coast guard and navy vessels rescued 200 individuals from hazardous waters in the Pas-de-Calais area on Saturday, as reported by French maritime authorities in charge of the English Channel and North Sea.
They stated they had observed 18 attempts to launch boats from France to Great Britain on Saturday.
Additional surveillance and rescue operations are ongoing on Sunday along the entire Pas-de-Calais coast under stormy weather conditions and turbulent seas, French maritime authorities announced. They warned anyone attempting to cross the English Channel in vulnerable and overloaded boats, as well as under difficult weather conditions, of “significant risks.”
In July, four migrants perished while making the crossing in an inflatable boat that capsized and deflated. Five others, including a child, perished in another attempt in April. Five bodies were recovered from the sea or found on a beach following a migrant boat's difficulties in the dark and winter cold of January.
The tragic event in Ambleteuse's northern town has brought attention to the dangerous journey migrants undertake, with at least 46 individuals losing their lives while attempting to reach the UK this year. Moreover, Europe's strict asylum rules and growing xenophobia are pushing migrants towards the continent, leading to numerous attempts to cross the English Channel.
