two survivors question the passivity of the authorities

Two men present themselves as the survivors of the shipwreck which cost the lives of 27 people, while trying to cross the Channel. They accuse the French and British authorities of not having come to their aid. As the boat sank in the middle of the night, a man said he called the emergency numbers with the passengers, to no avail. “We sent our whereabouts to the French, and they said we were in British waters. So we called the British for help, but they said, ‘Call the French police'” “, reports one of the two survivors.

The survivors assure that their call was very clear and that they called “at least twice”. The British Coast Guard, for their part, refute the scenario. They say they learned of the sinking via the French Navy, and responded to the 999 emergency calls received during that day from the English Channel. An investigation is underway. The only certainty: the boat left France for the United Kingdom, and sank not far from the borders separating the maritime waters of the two countries. “It is obvious that on both sides of the Channel, the coordination is total and that there is no game of return of the balls “, for his part commented Captain Éric Lavaud, spokesperson for the French Navy. For several migrant aid associations, the scenario is not improbable. It would have already happened on November 20.