Migrant Dies Attempting To Cross Channel By Boat: French Authorities
A migrant died Friday while attempting to cross the Channel from France to Britain aboard an overcrowded vessel, the latest in a string of fatal shipwrecks, according to authorities.
It was the third such expedition that ended in death in a week, according to maritime police, who also reported that 85 people were rescued after authorities reacted to their distress call.
According to a police source, the deceased migrant was from Sudan. Most of those rescued from the vessels were Ethiopian, Eritrean, or Sudanese.
According to authorities, shortly before 1:00 a.m. (2300 GMT Thursday), the migrants requested assistance from a French navy patrol as their craft began to sink.
The patrol rescued five passengers who were drifting in the ocean and evacuated the others from the vessel. At that point, the crew learned that one of the men had died.
Prosecutors in Boulgne-sur-Mer informed AFP that three persons were arrested on board the sailboat.
An Eritrean woman died trying to cross the French shore off Gravelines on Wednesday while on a sailboat carrying 72 migrants.
Last Friday, four migrants drowned off Boulogne-sur-Mer as their deflated sailboat sank, while a navy patrol rescued scores more from the water.
Survivor remembers rescue
About 100 people including migrants gathered in Calais on Friday evening with candles, some of them weeping, in a vigil for those who died.
One of them, an Ethiopian migrant aged 25 who asked to be identified only as Dargie, said he survived Wednesday’s wreck.
“It was very difficult, the boat sank because of the overload,” he told AFP.
He said he had helped two women and two children from the capsized boat to get on board a French navy vessel.
I was safe, and I was wearing a safety jacket, so I felt confident that I could save others,” he explained.
“We knew we would face some risks on our journey, so it happened, what we expected.”
Despite the hazards, he stated he was still resolved to travel to England.
“I have no choice…” If crossing the border provides a better opportunity, I will accept it.
Another survivor, Anwar Muhammad, told AFP that the migrants were promised there would be 40 on the boat, but there were considerably more, with barely 20 wearing life jackets.
With Friday’s tragedy, the number of migrants who have perished attempting to cross the Channel this year has reached 22.
According to French marine police, the total for the entire year 2023 was 12.
In bilateral meetings on Thursday, Britain’s incoming Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to “strengthen their cooperation on irregular migration”.
Starmer previously stated that there was “no easy silver bullet” to prevent tiny boats from attempting the risky voyage.
AFP
