Four individuals, including a two-year-old boy, tragically lost their lives while trying to cross the English Channel, according to French officials. The victims were found “unconscious” in two separate boats that had experienced engine failures, leading to what authorities believe were fatalities caused by trampling.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the incident as a “terrible tragedy,” holding people smugglers responsible for the deaths. In one situation, a French rescue team responded to a distress call involving 15 people, including the young boy. One individual suffered burns to their legs and was subsequently airlifted to a French hospital for treatment.
Jacques Billant, the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, reported that one of the boats was near Boulogne-Sur-Mer, carrying nearly 90 individuals when it encountered engine trouble. The French rescue services were notified, and a rescue boat arrived to assist. Unfortunately, despite efforts from a medical team dispatched by helicopter, the two-year-old boy was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The Boulogne-Sur-Mer prosecutor, Guirec Le Bras, revealed that the child, born in Germany to a Somali mother, had been “trampled to death” during the incident. The individual who sustained burns was taken to the hospital, while the rest of the passengers on the boat continued their journey.
In a separate incident off the coast of Calais, another overcrowded small boat experienced engine failures that led to a stampede, resulting in some migrants falling into the water, though they were rescued. Unfortunately, three others—a woman and two men—were discovered unconscious inside the vessel, likely victims of trampling, according to Billant.
As of now, 51 migrants have perished in 2024 while attempting to cross the Channel to reach the UK. Retailleau emphasized the need to intensify efforts against the criminal organizations profiting from these perilous crossings. He made this statement on social media platform X.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed her outrage over the deaths, calling them “appalling” and highlighting the role of criminal smuggling networks that continue to orchestrate these hazardous boat crossings. She noted that the gangs involved show little regard for the lives they endanger.
Cooper shared that she had communicated with Retailleau and that they had discussed the situation during a recent G7 meeting in Italy. The action plan agreed upon at that meeting includes the establishment of international joint investigative teams to target these smuggling operations.
Earlier this week, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier called for stricter immigration policies in France, vowing to take a hard stance against traffickers who exploit vulnerable individuals. Barnier criticized these traffickers for encouraging undocumented asylum seekers to make dangerous crossings across the Channel and the Mediterranean.
In a related statement, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed his commitment to addressing the smuggling gangs facilitating these crossings but did not specify a timeline for action.
Statistics from the Home Office indicate that, as of October 4, 2024, there were 395 migrants who arrived in the UK via small boats without permission. A total of 25,639 individuals have crossed the Channel in 2024 alone.
Data from the International Organization for Migration (part of the UN) estimates that at least 194 migrants have died attempting to cross the English Channel from 2018 to September 2024.
