Eight migrants died during the night of Saturday 14 to Sunday 15 September, during an attempt to reach the United Kingdom, in the Ambleteuse area (Pas-de-Calais). An investigation has been opened.
Eight migrants died on the night of Saturday 14 to Sunday 15 September, during a new attempt to Channel crossingSix other people, including a 10-month-old baby with hypothermia, are in relative emergency.
The prefect of Pas-de-Calais, Jacques Billant, points out “a terrible toll” and announces that an investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office.
• 59 migrants on board the boat
The migrant boat was reported shortly before midnight in the Ambleteuse area (Pas-de-Calais). There were 59 people on board, including a ten-month-old baby, according to the Pas-de-Calais prefect. The authorities then went to the scene to monitor the boat.
“On arrival at the area, the Minck vessel noted that the boat was heading towards the beach at Ambleteuse (62) and could not offer any assistance from the sea before the boat reached the beach,” said the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.
The same source states that the authorities were informed “by one of the passengers on the boat of the presence of people in an emergency situation, unconscious, on the beach”.
• The boat “was torn on the rocks”
The boat quickly found itself in difficulty and “ran aground near the Estran. The boat was clearly torn on the rocks”, explained Jacques Billant, during a press briefing on Sunday, September 15.
The prefect specifies that “only one person in six was equipped with a life jacket”.
“For the sake of profit, smugglers are increasingly putting people at risk when they sell them crossings across a dangerous sea on totally unsuitable boats. This is literally leading them to their deaths,” the state representative castigated.
Rescue services took charge of migrants rescued at sea.
• Apparently adult men”,
Eight migrants died and six others, including a 10-month-old baby with hypothermia, are in relative emergency. The latter were taken to hospitals in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais.
Regarding the profile of the victims, “they are apparently adults,” said the prefect of Pas-de-Calais.
The other victims are said to be “from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt and Iran,” adds Jacques Billant.
No other victims were discovered during the sea searches. The other castaways were directed to a centre opened by the mayor of Ambleteuse.
• An open investigation
An investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office. It has been entrusted to the office for combating the illegal trafficking of migrants and the maritime gendarmerie.
20 gendarmes, around fifty firefighters, around twenty vehicles and a drone were deployed to this operation, even though the location was very difficult to access. The emergency services mobilised four teams and a helicopter.
Surveillance and rescue operations are underway along the entire Pas-de-Calais coastline.
• 46 migrants dead since the beginning of the year
This tragedy comes twelve days after that of Wimereux. Twelve people died on September 3, after an attempt to cross the Channel, off Cap Gris-Nez.
“A total of 46 migrants have died since the beginning of the year while trying to reach Great Britain on board a small boat,” laments Jacques Billant, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais.
This is already the deadliest year since the beginning of the phenomenon of attempted crossings.
The latter notes that “despite these terrible events, there are still many migrants taking to the sea as soon as the weather windows become favourable. The pressure is therefore very high in the North, Pas-de-Calais and Somme”.
• 238 smugglers arrested in the act
“This year of 2024 is very difficult,” acknowledges Jacques Billant. “The conditions of intervention have become very complex, with smugglers and migrants who are very aggressive. In recent days and again this night, police and gendarmerie vehicles have been targeted and police officers and gendarmes have been injured,” he assures.
Regarding smugglers, the number of arrests has increased by 15% compared to 2023.
“238 smugglers have been arrested in the act since the beginning of the year, including 10 between September 12 and 15,” said the Prefect of Pas-de-Calais.
On Saturday, September 14, eight attempted crossings were prevented by security forces and more than 200 migrants were rescued at sea.
