The prefect of Pas de Calais Jacques Billant and the public prosecutor of Boulogne sur mer, Guirec Le Bras – credit: Radio6
Sébastien Foissel
17:13 – October 5, 2024
A 2-year-old child died of suffocation during a stampede in a boat off Audresselles on Saturday morning. Three adults, two men and a woman were drowned and crushed in 40 cm of water at the bottom of another boat off the coast of Calais. Since Thursday, thanks to cool but mild weather, 31 attempts to cross the Channel with boats of more than 80 people have been counted…
The first boat where the 2-year-old child died was spotted off Audresselles on Saturday around 7:45 a.m. The prefect of Pas de Calais, Jacques Billant:
14 migrants were taken care of and interviewed by investigators. The others continued on their way, monitored by nautical means.
Around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, a second boat with 83 migrants was spotted 8 miles off Calais. Two Vietnamese men and a 30-year-old African woman were crushed to death and drowned in 40 cm of water at the bottom of the boat.
The prefect of Pas de Calais, Jacques Billant:
From Thursday evening to Saturday 2 p.m., 31 boats were reported at sea. Other operations are underway this Saturday evening.
51 migrants have died since the start of the year. The prefect of Pas de Calais, Jacques Billant:
The Boulogne public prosecutor’s office has opened several investigations into aggravated involuntary homicide and criminal conspiracy, aid to foreigners in an irregular situation.
The public prosecutor of Boulogne sur mer, Guirec Le Bras:
The migrants came from Eritrea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Kuwait and Iraq.
At the Port of Boulogne and Calais, firefighters and Civil Protection were mobilized to provide first aid.
