Three people die and 48 rescued near Calais attempting to cross Channel

 

More than 150,000 people have crossed the Channel in small vessels since records began in January 2018, with more than 36,000 so far this year – a 23% increase on last year, but a 21% reduction since 2022.

After a lengthy gap in crossings due to bad weather conditions, 1,485 people crossed by sea from the northern French coast to the UK between 25 and 28 December.

 

Three people die and 48 rescued near Calais attempting to cross Channel

 

The deaths make 2024 the deadliest year on record for small boat Channel crossings

 

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and Diane Taylor

Sun 29 Dec 2024 13.52 CET

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/29/people-die-near-calais-attempting-to-cross-channel

 

Three people have died after falling from an overcrowded small boat trying to cross from France to the UK, as 2024 became the deadliest year on record for perilous sea crossings.

 

The boat ran into trouble at about 6am on Sunday near Blériot-Plage, a public beach in Sangatte close to the French Channel port of Calais, emergency services said. Several people fell into the water trying to board the overcrowded vessel.

 

The Calais prefect’s office and French maritime authorities said 48 people were rescued and 45 needed urgent medical help – the majority for hypothermia, four of whom were urgently transferred to hospital.

 

A rescue mission, by sea and helicopter, was launched from the French coast as soon as the boat was seen in difficulty. A French naval helicopter recovered the three people from the water who were pronounced dead by medical services. An investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor’s office.

 

Operations continued along the French coast on Sunday morning to identify any other small boats in danger. Attempted boardings of other small boats and dinghies were spotted at several locations.

 

The mayor of Sangatte, Guy Allemand, told AFP: “It never stops. It’s crossing after crossing, without any letup.”

 

After a lengthy gap in crossings due to bad weather conditions, 1,485 people crossed by sea from the northern French coast to the UK between 25 and 28 December. Dozens more are understood to have made the crossing successfully earlier on Sunday and have arrived in Dover.

 

The large number of recent crossings calls into question the UK government’s claim of disrupting the smugglers’ supply network in other European countries such as Germany by seizing dinghies destined for the French coast.

 

Favourable winds since last weekend have encouraged people seeking asylum in the UK to attempt the dangerous crossing.

 

Sunday’s deaths mean at least 76 people have died trying to cross the Channel to Britain this year, according to the Pas-de-Calais authorities, making 2024 the deadliest year on record for the crossings. In October, a baby died after an overloaded boat started to sink off the French coast. In September, six children and a pregnant woman were among 12 people who died after a boat carrying dozens of people was “ripped open” in one of the worst Channel tragedies since the small boats crisis began.

 

French maritime authorities carried out 12 rescue operations along the coast of northern France on Christmas Day, rescuing 107 people in distress from small boats trying to cross to the UK. Charities in France had warned of a growing number of attempted departures at the end of December when the sea can appear calm, but water temperatures are dangerously low and small inflatable boats are overloaded.

 

One asylum seeker from Lebanon said on Christmas Eve that, due to the poor weather and the harsh conditions in the makeshift camp in northern France that he was living in, with evictions by the French police every 48 hours, he had decided to abandon his plans to reach the UK.

 

“I have travelled to Germany and am planning to claim asylum there,” he said. “The conditions in northern France are too bad.” Based on the numbers who have crossed the Channel in recent days, many others chose to wait in camps in Calais and Dunkirk until the weather improved.

 

More than 150,000 people have crossed the Channel in small vessels since records began in January 2018, with more than 36,000 so far this year – a 23% increase on last year, but a 21% reduction since 2022.

 

The UK government has pledged to crack down on people-smuggling gangs. In November, Keir Starmer called for greater international cooperation against the gangs, which he described as a “global security threat similar to terrorism”.