Drama at sea: four migrants die attempting to cross the English Channel

On Saturday October 5, two clandestine crossings of the English Channel ended in tragedy, resulting in the deaths of four people, including a 2-year-old child. These tragedies add to a year 2024 already marked by a record number of victims in these desperate attempts to reach the English coast.

First aid and a grisly discovery
In the morning, between 8 and 9 a.m., a boat overloaded with migrants made a distress call, attracting the attention of the Abeille Normandie, a French navy tugboat. Rescuers were able to recover 14 people on board, but the operation revealed the horror: a 2-year-old child, found lifeless, probably crushed and asphyxiated in the crowded conditions of the boat. The rest of the passengers, despite being overloaded, continued on towards British waters.

A second tragedy on the same day
A few hours later, a second boat also sank. Three migrants – two men and a woman in their thirties – perished in similar conditions. According to Jacques Billant, Prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, they were crushed and suffocated before drowning in 40 centimetres of water at the bottom of the inflatable boat. An investigation for “aggravated manslaughter” and “criminal conspiracy” has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor, Guirec Le Bras.

Reaction and outrage
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau expressed his indignation on social networks, describing the event as “an appalling tragedy”. He denounced the responsibility of the smugglers, whom he accused of playing with the lives of these vulnerable people for illegal profits: *The smugglers have the blood of these people on their hands, and our government will intensify the fight against these mafias who enrich themselves by organizing these crossings of death “*.

A black year for Channel crossings
The year 2024 is already shaping up to be the deadliest since the phenomenon of clandestine crossings began in 2018. With these four new victims, the death toll climbs to 50 this year, far surpassing the 12 deaths recorded in 2023.