Twelve die after migrant boat sinks in Channel
Six children and a pregnant woman were among 12 people who lost their lives after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank in the English Channel off the French coast.
According to the local prosecutor’s office, 10 of the deceased were female, and two were male.
The French coast guard reported that more than 50 people were rescued near Cape Gris-Nez, close to Boulogne-sur-Mer. Two of the survivors are in critical condition.
Officials stated that the boat was overloaded, and its bottom had “ripped open.” Fewer than eight passengers on board were wearing life jackets.
This tragedy marks the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year.
There is speculation that a Syrian smuggler may have been involved, according to one source.
Local prosecutor Guirec Le Bras mentioned that officials believe the victims were “primarily of Eritrean origin,” although the exact nationalities have yet to be confirmed.
Before Tuesday’s incident, 30 people had already died crossing the Channel in 2024 – the highest figure for any year since 2021, when 45 deaths were recorded, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration.
Mr Darmanin said French authorities were preventing 60% of small boat departures. But people smugglers are cramming up to 70 people on vessels that used to carry 30 to 40 people – leading to deadlier shipwrecks.
He urged the UK and EU to agree on a “treaty on migration” to curb small boat crossings.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the incident as “horrifying and deeply tragic”.
“The gangs behind this appalling and callous trade in human lives have been cramming more and more people onto increasingly unseaworthy dinghies, and sending them out into the Channel even in very poor weather,” she said.
The effort to “dismantle these dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs and to strengthen border security is so vital and must proceed apace”, she added.
