Small Boat Crossings: Hundreds of Migrants Traverse English Channel
Nearly 300 migrants traversed the English Channel by small boats on a day marked by one death and a critical injury near the French coast.
The Home Office reported that on Friday, 292 individuals reached the UK aboard seven vessels. These migrants were the first to arrive since December 3, which saw 118 crossings. To date, 29,382 migrants have undertaken the journey this year, compared to the total of 45,774 in the previous year.
Trouble struck on Friday when one boat, carrying over 60 people, began to deflate around 8 kilometers from French shores, the French coastguard reported. The incident resulted in one fatality and left another person in a critical condition at a hospital in Calais.
Rescue operations commenced at 01:15 local time, led by the French, with 66 individuals saved within the hour.
August witnessed the loss of at least six lives when a migrant boat sank off the French coast. In a tragic event in November 2021, at least 27 migrants perished as their dinghy capsized en route to the UK from France, making it the deadliest incident on record.
The home secretary, James Cleverly, expressed outrage over the Channel incident on social media, stating, "The Channel incident last night is a horrific reminder of the cruelty of people smugglers. Although we've prevented 25,000 people from making the crossing this year, we must—and will—take further action. Preventing each boat crossing can potentially save lives."
Trouble struck on Friday when one boat, carrying over 60 people, began to deflate around 8 kilometers from French shores, the French coastguard reported. The incident resulted in one fatality and left another person in a critical condition at a hospital in Calais.
Rescue operations commenced at 01:15 local time, led by the French, with 66 individuals saved within the hour.
August witnessed the loss of at least six lives when a migrant boat sank off the French coast. In a tragic event in November 2021, at least 27 migrants perished as their dinghy capsized en route to the UK from France, making it the deadliest incident on record.
The home secretary, James Cleverly, expressed outrage over the Channel incident on social media, stating, "The Channel incident last night is a horrific reminder of the cruelty of people smugglers. Although we've prevented 25,000 people from making the crossing this year, we must—and will—take further action. Preventing each boat crossing can potentially save lives."
