Migration Crisis: Two migrants die trying to cross the English Channel
Migrants Rescued in the French Coeast, aug 2024 photo: @latercera
August 11, 2024 Hour: 7:07 pm
French authorities add that about 50 people were rescued by helicopter and several boats were sent to the site.
The Channel Prefecture maritime in Calais issued a statement on Sunday confirming the death of two migrants, as well as the rescue by helicopter of 50 people who tried to cross the road linking the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea.
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According to the report, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, Jacques Billant, went to the area to supervise the rescue work. The French authorities indicated that passengers were transported in a boat.
Although the causes of deaths have not been clarified, the organizations Utopia 56 and Alarm Phone (responsible for monitoring the Channel and the Mediterranean) say that the increase in human losses is due to the repression of small boats by the UK.
In statements to local media, an unnamed Alarm Phone spokesman reported the deaths of at least 62 people on the UK border since March 2023. This date marked the latest agreement between that State and France to “stop boats” carrying migrants.
As a result of the attempts by the British and other nations to block supply chains in countries of origin, there is a perceived decrease in the number of boats available. This has led to more people boarding boats with few conditions.
Prior to the incident reported today, a woman was suffocated in a boat on July 28. The French government’s daily reports on the Channel crossings indicate that the average number of people in each vessel has increased from 30 (in 2018) to 70, with some cases exceeding 100 passengers.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: The Guardian
