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Just one day after 12 migrants died in a failed attempted crossing of the English Channel, another boat carrying several dozen people appears to be making another attempt from northern France on Wednesday, seemingly trying to head toward Britain.
Journalists on a beach in Wimereux, on the northern French coastline and close to the site of Tuesday’s deadly sinking, are broadcasting live video of an inflatable boat carrying people, seemingly migrants, out to sea.
It comes as it was revealed a pregnant woman and six children were among 12 people who died after their boat sank trying to cross the English Channel.
The French coastguard confirmed the deaths after up to 65 people were rescued off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez on Tuesday.
The local prosecutor’s office said 10 women and two men were killed in the incident, according to the BBC.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that dozens of people had been crammed in a boat less than seven metres long.
“I came to Boulogne-sur-Mer to meet and thank the emergency services, the police and the sailors who were able to save 51 people from drowning by intervening very quickly and very courageously,” he said.
Mr Darmanin described it as a “terrible shipwreck”, adding: “The provisional toll stands at 12 dead, two missing and several injured.
“All government services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper branded the incident “horrifying and deeply tragic” as she said “vital” efforts to dismantle “dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs” and to boost border security “must proceed apace”.
Mr Darmanin said most of the people on the boat were believed to have been from Eritrea, and most of the victims were women.
Speaking to reporters at Boulogne-sur-Mer, where the casualties are being treated, he said as many as 75 people can be put on boats ahead of a crossing attempt.
“These boats go down very, very quickly, this is the reason why a lot of people get killed on these journeys,” he said, according to a BBC News translation.
Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer, said that the bottom of the boat “ripped open”.
All of the people on board the dinghy ended up in the water, many of whom were not wearing life jackets, and several of the migrants needed emergency medical care, according to the French coastguard.
Ms Cooper said she was in touch with Mr Darmanin and was being kept updated on the situation, adding: “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives, and all those who have been seriously injured.”
The latest casualties mean more than 30 people have died in Channel crossings so far this year.
The International Organisation for Migration, which records Channel crossing deaths as part of its Missing Migrant Project, estimates 226 people including 35 children are missing or have died after attempting the crossing as of January this year.
Ministers have raised fears about people smugglers cramming more and more migrants onto increasingly poor boats to risk the crossing.
Charities and campaigners reiterated calls for urgent changes to curb Channel crossings as they lamented the latest loss of life at sea.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the number of deaths in the Channel this year had been “shockingly high” and the “devastating trend shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous crossings”.
“Enforcement alone is not the solution,” he added, as he called on the Government to open up more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers.
Home Office figures show 351 people made the journey in six boats on Monday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date 21,403.
