Tragedy in the English Channel

Overcrowded migrant boat sinks: baby dies

(Bild: AFP)

Another overcrowded boat with migrants on board has sunk while attempting to cross the English Channel towards Great Britain. A baby also died in the accident on Friday night, according to the French authorities. 

A further 68 people were rescued. This brings the number of migrant fatalities in the English Channel this year to 52.

Baby found in the water
The accident occurred off the coast of Wissant, according to the prefecture responsible. The baby was found in the water and declared dead. 52 men, twelve women and four children were rescued, the public prosecutor's office said. There were mainly Iranians, Iraqis, Albanians and Eritreans on board.

The monitoring center had reported the departure of a migrant boat and sent out several rescue boats. A Belgian helicopter was also deployed. When the refugee boat was found, numerous people were already in the water.

Number of crossings has risen sharply
The number of migrant crossings across the English Channel to the UK in rubber dinghies has risen sharply since 2018, despite repeated warnings. Time and again, overcrowded boats capsize. Children are often among the victims.

At the beginning of September, twelve people lost their lives in the worst accident of the year so far, half of them children or teenagers. In October, a two-year-old child was crushed to death on board a boat; the boat was carrying almost 90 people who panicked as a result of engine failure.

According to British figures, an average of 53 people travel on the boats that make the crossing. Since the beginning of the year, around 26,000 migrants have arrived in the UK in this way.

Dealing with immigration was a key topic at a summit meeting of EU heads of state and government on Thursday. They spoke out more clearly than before in favor of a stricter immigration policy. Among other things, they called "urgently" for a new law to speed up the deportation of rejected asylum seekers.