What we know about the worst accident of the year in the English Channel, in which 12 migrants died

Such a number of deaths had not been recorded since November 2021, when 27 exiles died trying to reach England.

This is the deadliest shipwreck in the English Channel since 2021. Twelve migrants died on Tuesday, September 3, after the boat in which they were trying to reach the United Kingdom broke up off Cap Gris-Nez, in Pas-de-Calais. Since January, at At least 37 people have already lost their lives trying to reach the English coast, making 2024 the deadliest year ever since the Channel crossings on makeshift boats began. Here’s what we know about the tragedy.

A shipwreck occurred “5 km” from the French coast

The boat on which 65 migrants had embarked ran into difficulty late Tuesday morning, according to the Manche maritime prefecture (Premar). The boat appears to “having sunk 5 km off Cape Gris-Nez”said the prosecutor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Guirec Le Bras. A state-chartered ship, which had spotted it, came to its aid as soon as it broke up, reports Premar.

Fire and navy helicopters, military vessels and two fishing boats were then mobilised for the search. An advanced medical post was deployed to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where significant rescue resources were mobilised.

Twelve people, including six children, lost their lives.

The castaways are “mainly Eritrean”reported the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor on Tuesday evening. Among the 12 victims found drowned, six were minors and ten were women, the magistrate said. One of these women was pregnant, according to the mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Frédéric Cuvillier, quoted by the BBC. Such a number of deaths had never been recorded since November 2021, when 27 exiles died trying to reach England.

In addition to the 12 people reported dead at sea, “53 people were rescued”said theThe maritime prefecture of the Channel told Radio France on Wednesday morning that no one was missing. “Less than eight people had a life jacket provided by the smugglers”deplores Premar.

Investigation opened for involuntary manslaughter

The Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor announced the opening of an investigation into “aggravated involuntary manslaughter”, “organized criminal association” and “aiding illegal immigrants” aggravated by the circumstances of organized gangs and risk of disability or death. No arrests have yet been made at this stage. As of Tuesday evening, 33 people were being questioned and 12 were still hospitalized, according to the magistrate.

Gérald Darmanin calls for a new “migration treaty” with the United Kingdom

Arriving in Boulogne-sur-Mer on Tuesday, the resigning Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, called for the signing of“a migration treaty between Great Britain and the European Union” to try to put an end to the departure of clandestine boats from the French coast to England. Migrants “want to leave in Great Britain”he insisted. “CIt is not the tens of millions of euros that we negotiate each year with our British friends, who only pay a third of what we spend, we”which will put an end to illegal departures, he continued, facing the cameras.

“What happened off the coast of Le Portel is a horrific and deeply tragic incident”reacted the British Minister of the Interior, Yvette Cooper, on X. Since coming to power at the beginning of July, the British Labour Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced that he wants to speed up the processing of asylum seeker files, while toughening up the fight against people smugglers. In the first six months of 2024, illegal crossings of the Channel to the United Kingdom reached a record number, with the arrival of 21,615 people, according to British authorities.

Associations denounce “completely ineffective” police repression

The migrant aid association Utopia 56 denounced on Tuesday a policy of police repression on the French coast. “completely ineffective”Who “leads to repeated incidents and tragedies (…)”. “We can always blame it on the criminal smugglers and that is of course what will happen.”regretted its co-founder Yann Manzi, on franceinfo, calling on France and the European Union to cease their “morbid politics”.

The association L’Auberge des migrants pleaded, on Wednesday, on France Culture, for “safe passageways”noting the failure of “increased militarization of the border” and of “the fight against transit networks”. The British Refugee Council has also called for “improve legal access for those seeking safety”.

About fifteen Utopia 56 activists organized a rally on Tuesday, as Gérald Darmanin arrived to speak at Boulogne-sur-Mer. The demonstrators unfurled a banner on which was written “Deaths at the borders, guilty states. Thirty years of a call for air to the extreme right”They were pushed back by the police, chanting “Darmanin, you have blood on your hands. Murderous state”.