Sudanese woman and 16-year-old girl reportedly die trying to cross Channel | Immigration and asylum
Two Sudanese refugee women died while trying to cross the Channel off the coast of Boulogne in the early hours of Sunday morning.
According to some reports, one was a 16-year-old teenager and the other was a woman in her 20s. He was found dead on the boat that ran aground off the coast of Neufchâtel-Hardelot, according to Christophe Marx, secretary general of the Province of Pas-de-Calais.
There were approximately 82 people on board. The victims were found “dead inside the boat,” Marx said.
The three survivors were reported to be in critical condition due to burns caused by a mixture of motor fuel and seawater. Another 14 people had more minor injuries, five of whom were taken to hospital.
A major rescue operation was launched after dozens of people tried to board the boat, which was described as a taxi boat.
Seventeen people were rescued at sea and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer, and another 65 remained on board until the boat ran aground. Deaths and injuries occurred as a result of the engine failure and the boat starting to drift.
A judicial investigation was launched by the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor’s office regarding the incident.
Today’s deaths bring the number of deaths so far this year to at least eight, including two deaths a month ago and four deaths three weeks ago. At least 29 people died trying to cross the English Channel last year.
The death toll raises questions about the latest three-year agreement signed between Britain and France last month. Britain is paying £662 million to the French government to stop small boats crossing the Channel and prevent loss of life. While France is increasing the number of police and gendarmerie patrolling the coast, the British government is increasing payments to France by 40 percent. It was reported that French patrols would only intervene to stop boats with fewer than 20 people on board, as they said there would be a risk to life if they stopped overcrowded boats.
The Maritime Governor for the Channel and the North Sea said in a statement about the rescue operation on Sunday morning that, given the structural fragility of the overcrowded boats, French authorities did not force people trying to cross the Channel to board state rescue ships to avoid endangering their lives in the event of a shipwreck.
GB News reports that more than 550 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this weekend, although official daily crossing figures for Sunday have not yet been published by the Home Office. Government data published on Sunday morning confirms that 325 people crossed the English Channel in six boats on Saturday.
An asylum seeker who returned to France under a “one in, one out” deal told the Guardian that he was at a French government hostel in northern France with many asylum-seeking families and that Home Office officials had arrived at the accommodation a few days earlier to warn people not to cross the Channel. Hours later, some of the families are thought to have left the hostel and arrived in England early this weekend. Interior Ministry sources said they would not comment on operational matters. They added that their priority is to break the business model of human traffickers.
Before the latest deaths on the channel, an open letter was distributed from more than 70 refugee NGOs, including signatories Médecins Sans Frontières, Joint Council for the Welfare of Migrants and Safe Passage International, coordinated by the Human Rights Network and Project Play. He called for a public inquiry into how Britain’s money was spent on stopping the boats.
A Home Office spokesman said. “We were deeply saddened to hear of the deaths in French waters today.
“Every death on the canal is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people for profit. We will continue to work tirelessly with the French and our overseas partners to prevent these dangerous journeys.”
