At least 27 immigrants died trying to cross the English Channel this Wednesday (24) towards the United Kingdom, according to the French Ministry of the Interior. According to the city of Calais, the city on the French coast from which they left, said that at night there were already 31 bodies rescued and the number could grow.
The local coast guard avoided nailing the exact death toll but added that rescuers found about 20 people in the water; only two were aware. Searches continued through the night.
The wreck is the biggest disaster of its kind in the region since crossings in small boats began to grow three years ago, and comes amid an explosion of attempts to cross the canal, which this year has already caused friction between France and the United Kingdom.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose refugee policy is criticized by activists, called a meeting of the COBR emergency committee to discuss the case on Wednesday night. “The disaster shows how dangerous it is to make this crossing,” he said in an interview with the BBC.
“We can never sufficiently condemn the criminal behavior of the smugglers who organize these crossings,” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on social media.
Jean Castex, Prime Minister of France, took the same path: “My thoughts are with the dead and wounded, victims of criminal gangs who exploit their anguish and misery.”
According to British media, each immigrant pays around 4,000 euros (about R$27 thousand) to reach the UK, and there are reports of boats with up to 80 people.
Until this Wednesday, the worst shipwreck had been the one that killed five members of an Iranian Kurdish family, including a baby, near Calais, in October of last year. Artin, 15 months old, was only found three months later in Norway.
This year alone, 31,500 people have tried to cross the channel from the coast of France, according to the French government. Seven had died or disappeared so far, and 7,800 had been rescued.
25,700 immigrants sought asylum in the UK, more than triple last year’s 8,469.
Two helicopters, one from France and one from the United Kingdom, and three French ships participated in the continuous rescue operation.
Fishermen were the first to see bodies on the side of a boat, in the waters of the canal. According to them, the number of people inside the boats was greater this Wednesday than what is normally registered, possibly to take advantage of the conditions of the sea, which was calm, but with cold water, despite the firm weather.
The English Channel is one of the busiest routes in the world. Due to their strong sea currents, overloaded boats sometimes cannot even float.
According to human rights organizations, smugglers have started using larger and larger inflatable boats to make more profitable crossings on days with more favorable weather.
The gangs started to use the maritime route after increased inspection of trucks, where immigrants were hidden.
With pressure from the French government in the Calais region, traffickers have also diversified their starting points on the French coast, which increases the distance traveled — and the associated risk.
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