When a boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel, six people died and around 50 people were rescued. Again and again, migrants dare to make the dangerous crossing from France to Great Britain.
At least six people died when a refugee boat capsized in the English Channel. About 50 people were rescued, the French authorities said. In the early morning they tried to cross the English Channel by boat from France and get to Great Britain.
A full-scale rescue operation was launched around 6 a.m. when dozens of boats tried to cross at the same time, said Teteghem Municipality Mayor Franck Dhersin. “Several boats had serious difficulties.” Unfortunately, dead people have been recovered near the coastal town of Sangatte.
According to authorities, a search and rescue operation was underway. The British Coastguard said they had sent a boat from Dover to help with the rescue.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that she was remembering the victims after the boat capsized.
Dangerous crossing to Great Britain
The English Channel between France and Great Britain is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The currents are strong. Therefore, a crossing with small boats is dangerous. Nevertheless, migrants keep trying to get illegally from France to Great Britain. Gangs of tugboats usually overload rickety inflatable boats, so that they hardly stay afloat and run the risk of capsizing.
“We rescued 54 people, including a woman,” said Anne Thorel, a volunteer who was on one of the lifeboats. She described the migrants’ desperate efforts to use their shoes to pump water out of their sinking boat. “There were too many of them on the boat.”
The number of migrants who have crossed the English Channel since early 2018 topped 100,000 this week, according to UK government data. So far this year there have been almost 16,000.