Desk Report
Publish: 25 Nov 2021, 11:01 am
Photo: Collected
Thirty-one people died on Wednesday after their dinghy
capsized while crossing the English Channel from France to Britain, in the worst
disaster on record involving migrants in the waters separating the countries.
The English Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong. Overloaded dinghies often barely stay afloat and are at the mercy of waves as they try to reach British shores.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 34 people had
been onboard, 31 of whom had died, two were rescued and one was still missing,
reports Reuters.
"There are two survivors ... but their life is in
danger, they are suffering from severe hypothermia," he said.
"It is a catastrophe for France, for Europe, for
humanity, to see these people who are at the mercy of smugglers perish at
sea."
More migrants left France's northern shores than usual to
take advantage of calm sea conditions on Wednesday, according to fishermen,
although the water was bitterly cold.
One fisherman, Nicolas Margolle, told Reuters he had seen
two small dinghies earlier on Wednesday, one with people on board and another
empty.
He said another fisherman had called rescue services after
seeing an empty dinghy and 15 people floating motionless nearby, either
unconscious or dead.
While French police have prevented more crossings than in
previous years, they have only partially stemmed the flow of migrants wanting
to reach Britain - one of many sources of tensions between Paris and London.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was
"shocked and appalled" by the deaths.
"My thoughts and sympathies are with the victims and
their families ... but this disaster underscores how dangerous it is to cross
the Channel in this way," he said after chairing an emergency cabinet
meeting.
Though both governments blamed smugglers, a number of French
politicians, including Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart blamed Britain for the
problem, saying it should change its immigration policies.
Some rights groups said that tighter monitoring was pushing
migrants to take greater risks as they sought a better life in the West.
"To accuse only the smugglers is to hide the
responsibility of the French and British authorities," l'Auberge des Migrants
NGO said.
Before Wednesday's disaster, 14 people had drowned this year
trying to make it to Britain, a local maritime prefecture official said. In
2020, a total of seven people died and two disappeared, while in 2019 four
died.
Early on Wednesday, Reuters reporters in France saw a group
of over 40 migrants head towards Britain on a dinghy. Members of the same group
were later seen by Reuters reporters arriving on the British coast.
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Topic : Migrants English Channel
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