Representative image. At least 30 migrants have died or gone missing while trying to enter the UK in 2024, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Photo Credit: Reuters
Thirteen migrants died when their boat capsized during an attempt to cross the English Channel on Tuesday (September 3, 2024), the mayor of a French coastal town involved in the rescue operation said.
Dozens of people jumped into the dangerous waters of the busy channel.
“Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped apart,” said Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel, near the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where a first-aid post was set up to treat victims. “It’s a big drama.”
At least 13 migrants had died, said a maritime rescue official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the operation.
Etienne Baggio, a spokesman for the French prefecture that oversees the sea area, said “more than 10” people had died but he did not have an exact number. The prefecture said the boat had run into trouble near Gris-Nez Point.
Both Baggio and the mayor said rescue workers had rescued 61 people from the water.
The sea temperature in northern France was about 20 °C or 68 F.
At least 30 migrants have died or gone missing while trying to enter Britain this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
At least 2,109 migrants have tried to cross the English Channel on small boats in the past seven days, according to UK Home Office data updated on Tuesday (September 3, 2024). This data includes those found in the Channel or on arrival.
Increasingly strict rules for refugees in Europe, rising xenophobia and hostile attitudes towards migrants are causing them to flee north.