At least eight migrants have lost their lives off the coast of France while attempting to cross the English Channel. The tragedy occurred after their vessel “broke apart on the rocks” near Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France overnight, according to a regional official.
A total of 51 survivors were rescued from the disaster. Among them, six individuals, including a 10-month-old infant suffering from hypothermia, were transported to a hospital.
Jacques Billant, a regional official, condemned the actions of human traffickers, stating, “Driven by profit, traffickers are increasingly endangering lives by organizing crossings in perilous conditions on unsuitable vessels. This is literally sending people to their deaths.”
He further noted the poor condition of the boats, which are often overloaded, of substandard quality, inadequately inflated, lacking proper flooring, underpowered, and not equipped with sufficient life jackets. Only one in six passengers on the boat was wearing a life jacket, he added.
This incident comes as French authorities rescued around 200 migrants off the coast of Calais over a 24-hour period between Friday and Saturday night. In one case, 55 people were rescued from a dilapidated boat near the French coastal town of Le Portel. Elsewhere, 61 individuals were saved off the coast of La Becque d’Hardelot, 48 were rescued near a lighthouse, and another 36 were brought to safety later in the day.
All of the rescued individuals were returned to shore, with French authorities reporting that they monitored 18 attempted crossings on Saturday.
Responding to the tragedy, Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed his sorrow, stating, “It’s awful. It’s yet another loss of life.” Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Lammy recounted his visit to the National Crime Agency, where he saw the “terrible rubber dinghies” used by migrants attempting to cross the Channel, many of which are unable to complete the journey due to their poor condition.
He added that the government is actively working on strategies to target smuggling gangs, in collaboration with European partners, to address the issue upstream.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s director for refugee and migrant rights, described the incident as “yet another appalling and preventable tragedy,” offering condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives. He warned that these dangerous crossings are becoming increasingly risky as smugglers take greater chances to avoid detection by UK and French authorities.
Valdez-Symonds criticized the government’s approach, saying its “smash the gangs” rhetoric, along with a security-heavy strategy, is contributing to the rising death toll. He argued that the absence of safe asylum routes leaves desperate people with no choice but to rely on flimsy, overcrowded boats controlled by smugglers. He urged UK ministers and their French counterparts to take shared responsibility for creating safer routes, warning that such tragedies will continue to occur otherwise.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed that only eight of the 70 people on board the ill-fated vessel were wearing life jackets, making it the deadliest Channel crossing incident of the year.
So far in 2023, at least 45 people have died while attempting to cross the Channel. Government figures show that more than 21,000 individuals made the crossing in small boats between January and September.
This latest tragedy comes less than two weeks after another disaster in the Channel, where at least 12 people, including 10 women and girls, died when a migrant boat broke apart. The French coastguard reported that over 65 people were rescued in that incident, which occurred off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez.