Twelve people were killed off the coast of northern France when a refugee boat capsized in the English Channel. The majority of them were women, said France’s current Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. Minors were also among the victims. In the evening, two injured people were still receiving emergency treatment.

According to the maritime prefecture, there were no more missing people late in the evening. During the rescue operation off the coastal town of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer, 65 people were pulled out of the water. Twelve of them could only be recovered dead. Some of the rescued people were receiving emergency medical treatment. Numerous ships and helicopters were used in the rescue operation. All migrants on the capsized boat, which was heading for Great Britain, fell into the sea.

Interior Minister Darmanin said at the scene of the accident: “This is a tragedy that affects us all.” The people were travelling on a small boat that was not even seven metres long. The judiciary is now investigating. The minister also called for a migration agreement to be negotiated between the European Union and Great Britain.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was also dismayed and condemned the machinations of people-smuggling gangs. Such gangs are cramming more and more people into boats that are not seaworthy and sending them out to sea even in very bad weather, Cooper criticized on X.

Boat was overloaded with migrants without life jackets

The broadcaster France 3 reported on a boat overloaded with migrants. They had no life jackets. “I am lost for words, it makes my blood run cold,” Dany Patoux, head of the migrant aid organization Osmose 62, told the broadcaster when he saw the body bags on the quay.

“We are shocked by the tragic loss of life in the latest incident in the English Channel,” said Enver Solomon, head of the British refugee charity Refugee Council. “The death toll in the English Channel this year has been shockingly high. This is a devastating trend that shows that a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach is urgently needed to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.”

Migrants repeatedly cross the English Channel to reach Great Britain. They often make the journey in small rubber dinghies. The crossing is dangerous, also because the channel is used by many large ships. People often lose their lives during the crossings. In November 2021, 31 people, including five women and a little girl, died when a boat sank off the northern French coast.

Britain fights migration across the English Channel

Britain has been trying to curb migration across the English Channel for some time, with French help, and is paying France millions to do so. The previous conservative government wanted to deter migrants with tough measures – for example, with the plan to deport them to Rwanda regardless of their actual origin.

However, the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been in power with his social democratic Labour Party since July, has overturned the plan after courts and human rights organizations also sharply criticized it. Starmer has announced that he wants to take stronger action against people-smuggling gangs. Just a few days ago, Starmer consulted with French President Emmanuel Macron about how to deal with migration across the English Channel.