Just a day after 12 migrants lost their lives when their small inflatable boat capsized during an attempted crossing of the English Channel, several dozen more individuals attempted another crossing on Wednesday, crammed into a crowded vessel. French patrol boats closely observed the vessel as it struggled through the choppy waters.
This most recent attempt, occurring so soon after the tragic loss of life, highlights the immense gravity of the situation facing both the French and British governments. The incident marked the deadliest accident involving a migrant boat in the English Channel this year.
The mayor of Wimereux, a French coastal town where Associated Press journalists captured footage of the crowded inflatable boat on Wednesday, appealed to French and British officials to take decisive action to curb the number of migrants attempting this perilous journey.
“Sadly, this is our daily reality. Smugglers, a criminal network, relentlessly push people towards their deaths in the Channel. It is utterly unacceptable, a disgrace. It’s high time for a lasting solution to be found in collaboration with Britain,” Mayor Jean-Luc Dubaële stated over the phone.
“Let’s pose the question: Why do they seek to reach Britain? There must be something drawing them there,” he continued. “They could request asylum in France. However, none seek asylum in France. They all aspire to go to Britain. Consequently, it’s crucial that we sit down together at the table with the new British government.”
Cross-Channel migration became a central issue in the U.K. general election in July, resulting in a resounding victory for the Labour Party, which propelled their leader, Keir Starmer, into the role of prime minister.
A French prosecutor, Guirec Le Bras, investigating Tuesday’s fatal sinking, revealed that 10 of the 12 deceased were women, and six of the victims were minors. Many appeared to be Eritrean, he added. The inflatable boat sank approximately 3 miles from the French coast, he confirmed. Maritime authorities reported that numerous individuals onboard lacked life vests.
Fishermen involved in recovering some of the deceased expressed their profound sadness.
“The bodies of two women were exceptionally young. It deeply affected me. I wept the entire day. I couldn’t stop,” recounted 53-year-old Samba Sy Ndiaye, who works aboard the Murex, one of two fishing vessels assisting the French rescue operation.
Another crew member, Axel Baheu, shared that the body of a young woman, whom he estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, had a waterproof pouch containing a telephone around her neck. As he pulled her from the water and checked for a pulse, the phone began to ring, he said.
“It was heart-wrenching because you know for certain that no one will ever answer,” Baheu reflected.
His father, Jean Marie Baheu, reported witnessing another heavily laden migrant boat departing in front of his house on Wednesday.
“When the weather is favorable and there’s no wind, departures occur daily,” he shared. “Initially, you’d see 20, 30 people. Now, it’s a minimum of 70, 80.”
French maritime authorities confirmed that the inflatable boat observed and filmed on Wednesday was carrying migrants. AP journalists estimated that there were between 40 and 50 individuals onboard.
Many wore life preservers. A French-flagged patrol boat approached the inflatable at one point, and the crew tossed several additional life vests, roughly half a dozen, to the migrants.
The English Channel’s gray seas were relatively calm, with small waves gently washing ashore as people strolled along the beach with their dogs.
Despite the calm conditions, the inflatable appeared to make slow progress. Despite journalists filming it for over two hours, it remained clearly visible from the shoreline, with the patrol vessel circling it and a larger vessel shadowing it from a greater distance.
The French maritime agency responsible for overseeing that stretch of water stated that the boats were monitoring the inflatable in case it encountered difficulties or individuals aboard requested assistance.
In a statement to the AP, the agency indicated that although maritime law prohibits the use of makeshift inflatables at sea, intervening to force them back to shore poses significant risks when the boats are heavily laden.
“It’s challenging to accomplish with over 50 people onboard who adamantly refuse to be rescued. The primary danger is a stampede onboard and subsequent capsizing, as these boats are neither stable nor reliable. The risk of loss of life being excessively high for an intervention under duress, the decision is made to prioritize the safety of those onboard and simply monitor the navigation capabilities of these boats from a distance,” the statement read.
“Therefore, it’s more a matter of ethical considerations than blindly applying the law,” it added.
According to U.K. government figures, at least 21,720 migrants have successfully crossed the English Channel so far this year. This represents a 3% increase compared to the same period last year but a 19% decrease compared to the same period in 2022.
The boat that disintegrated on Tuesday, tossing 65 individuals into the sea, was one of multiple crossing attempts that day. British authorities reported that at least 317 migrants successfully crossed, arriving in five boats.
One of the initial actions taken by the new U.K. government was the scrapping of the previous Conservative government’s plan to relocate some migrants arriving in small boats to Rwanda instead of allowing them to seek asylum in Britain. Human rights groups expressed criticism of the plan.
Starmer dismissed the plan as a “gimmick” and stated that it wouldn’t serve as a deterrent. Instead, his government has opted to allocate some of the funds saved from abandoning the program towards establishing a strengthened border force to “smash” the criminal gangs responsible for the small-boat arrivals.