At least three illegal migrants died while trying to cross the English Channel in a small people-smuggler-operated boat on Sunday morning, making this year the deadliest on record since the crisis began.
According to the French coastguard, three migrants died amid a rush to board a small boat in the frigid waters off the coast of the beaches of Sangatte near Calais. A further 45 were given treatment on the beach, including for hypothermia, resulting in four hospitalisations, the BBC reports.
The latest deaths bring the total number of illegal migrant fatalities in the Channel so far this year to 77, according to figures from the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), meaning that 2024 has become the deadliest year since the boat migrant crisis started in 2018.
The MP for the Pas-de-Calais constituency Pierre-Henri Dumont remarked: “Any attempt to cross the Channel in this way is very, very dangerous – but at this time of year, it is even more deadly.”
Dumont added that although rescue workers can respond quickly to emergencies, the bitterly cold waters mean that “spending even a few minutes in the water” can result in death. […]
— Read More: www.breitbart.com
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