The death of an infant during a shipwreck in the English Channel brings the number of deaths to 52 in 2024

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A four-month-old infant died on the evening of October 17, off the coast of Wissant (Pas-de-Calais) in the sinking of an overloaded boat trying to reach England clandestinely.bringing the number of people who died to 52 in crossing attempts in 2024, a record.

Alerted of a clandestine departure, the regional operational surveillance and rescue center (CROSS) Gris-Nez deployed several rescue vessels and a Belgian helicopter on Thursday evening, indicated the maritime prefecture (Prémar) of Manche and the sea from the North on Friday. The boat “ was torn in its center, some of the passengers falling into the water, while others held on to the pneumatic elements“, detailed to AFP the public prosecutor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Guirec Le Bras.

“Sixty-five people were recovered safe and sound” but, “after search, an infant was found unconscious in the water and unfortunately declared deceased,” Prémar told AFP.

The infant, aged four months and probably from Iraqi Kurdistan, was on board “with his parents and two other children”, said the prosecutor. “The castaways were mainly of Iranian, Iraqi, Albanian and Eritrean nationality,” he added.

As part of an investigation opened in particular for “involuntary homicide through a clearly deliberate violation of an obligation of security or prudence”, the services of the Office for the Fight against Smuggling of Migrants (Oltim) “are carrying out hearings of 50 shipwrecked people as witnesses,” continued Mr. Le Bras.

Overloaded canoes

Departures continue despite a high tide phenomenon forecast until today, Sunday, which makes navigation particularly complicated. On Thursday evening, “the associations called the Cross seven times to report boats in distress (i.e. around 400 people) for which emergency services intervened”, assured the Utopia 56 association in a press release.

“For these tragedies to stop, the action of the State must change,” added the association, which calls for “a policy of reception in France and safe passage to England”. Drownings and fatal stampedes, on overloaded canoes on board where few passengers have life jackets, have made 2024 the deadliest year since the start in 2018 of the phenomenon of small boats, these makeshift boats used to try to join England.

At least 52 people have died since January 1according to a count carried out by AFP based on official figures.

These victims regularly include children. On September 3, half of the twelve victims of the worst shipwreck of the year, which left 12 dead, were minors. On October 5, a two-year-old child was crushed to death in a boat carrying nearly 90 people and its engine broke down.

The use of small boats came in response to the increasingly severe blocking of access to the Channel Tunnel and the port of Calais.

53 passengers on average

Attempts to board trucks to clandestinely use the tunnel or a ferry continue, but crossings by small boats constitute the main means used by migrants, “almost (…) 90%” according to Guirec Le Bras. Boats arriving on British coasts since January 1 have an average of 53 passengers each, compared to only 13 in 2020, according to official figures from the British authorities.

According to these, more than 26,000 migrants have arrived in England after crossing the Channel since the start of the year. Elected in July, the British government of Labor Keir Starmer promised to tackle illegal immigration by increasing the number of deportations of migrants and fighting against smugglers.

This new death comes as French Prime Minister Michel Barnier presented on October 18 his plans on immigration at the border with Italy, whose initiatives in this area are closely watched by several European countries. On Thursday, the 27 meeting at a summit in Brussels raised their voice against irregular immigration, calling “urgently” for a law to accelerate expulsions, after discussions which also highlighted strong disagreements within the Union .

With AFP

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