31 migrants die after a boat sank in the English Channel off Calais | UK news

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France’s interior minister says 31 migrants drowned near Calais while trying to cross the Channel.

Among the dead were five women and a girl, Gerald Darmanin, speaking from a northern French town.

He added that two people were rescued from the water and four suspected smugglers were arrested.

‘Worst than ever’ incident involving immigrants in the channel – live updates

The deaths occurred after a rubber boat capsized near Calais this afternoon, with fishermen reporting more than a dozen bodies at sea.

Mr. Darman described the boat as “extremely weak” and “like a puddle you’re exploding in your garden,” according to a translation.

A British patrol boat, a French lifeboat, and three helicopters participated in the search and rescue effort.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the UK’s COBRA Emergency Committee in response.

Photo: Another group of migrants arrived at the port of Dover earlier on Wednesday

He said he was “shocked, bewildered and deeply saddened” and that human traffickers were “getting away with murder”.

French maritime authorities said it was the worst accident ever for migrants in the English Channel.

Fisherman Nicholas Margoll said he saw two small boats – one with people on board and the other empty.

He said another fisherman called rescuers after seeing the empty boat and 15 people motionless in the water.

She described conditions in the canal as cold but calm, which may explain why a number of crossings took place on Wednesday.

Other immigrants were brought ashore at Dover and Dungeness.

The Strait of Dover is the world’s busiest shipping lane and more than 25,700 people have made the perilous journey to the UK this year.

That number is three times the total for 2020, according to data compiled by the Palestinian Authority News Agency.

Photo: More immigrants were brought ashore by RNLI in Dungeness on Wednesday

Dover MP Natalie Elphick said: “This is an absolute tragedy. It underscores why saving lives at sea begins with stopping boats entering the water in the first place.

“As winter approaches, the seas will get rougher, the waters will be colder, and the risk of losing more lives tragically greater.

This is why stopping these dangerous crossings is the right and humanitarian action.”

The increase in crossings has become an increasingly tense topic for the UK and French governments, with London accusing the French of not doing enough to stop people – despite giving them extra money.

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