A French government source said Thursday that children and pregnant women were among the at least 27 migrants who died after their small boat sank while attempting to cross the English Channel.
Gerald Darmanin, the Interior Minister, also reported the arrest of a fifth smuggler suspected of being engaged in the deadliest migrant catastrophe on the perilous sea channel so far.
French authorities initially reported somewhat different statistics for the number of deceased in their immediate response to the disaster, ranging from at least 27 to 31. Darmanin used the number 27 on RTL radio on Thursday morning.
Authorities are seeking to determine the nationalities of the victims of Wednesday’s sinking, according to Darmanin. Hypothermia was addressed in two of the survivors. According to Darmanin, one is Iraqi and the other is Somali.
“Pregnant women and children died,” he claimed, although he didn’t say how many.
The 17 men, 7 women, two boys, and one girl assumed to be teenagers were among the dead, according to the French prosecutor’s office entrusted with investigating the incident. According to the prosecutors’ office, magistrates were looking into potential charges of homicide, unintentional wounding, supporting illegal migration, and criminal conspiracy.
Darmanin had already announced the arrest of four suspected traffickers in connection with the sunken boat on Wednesday. He told RTL that a fifth smuggling suspect was apprehended overnight.
According to Darmanin, the fifth suspect was driving a vehicle registered in Germany. He claimed that people-smuggling networks are run by criminal organizations in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He urged those countries to work together more effectively in the fight against smugglers, claiming that they do not always completely comply with French judicial requests for information.
“The United Kingdom and France must cooperate.”We must no longer be the only ones capable of combating the smugglers,” the minister stated.
“The traffickers buy boats, Zodiacs, with cash in Germany,” he continued. “The smuggler who was apprehended overnight has German plates and purchased his Zodiacs in Germany.”
The minister also took a shot at the British government’s immigration policies, claiming that France expels more persons living in the country illegally than the UK. Illegal migration from France’s northern coastlines to the United Kingdom has long been a source of friction between the two countries, with both sides blaming each other even as their police forces collaborate to prevent unseaworthy vessels from crossing the English Channel. Politicians on both sides of the aisle frequently utilize the topic to pursue an anti-immigration agenda.
“Clearly, immigration in the United Kingdom is poorly managed,” Darmanin remarked.
He further said that by hiring illegal immigrants, British firms are encouraging illegal migration to the country’s shores.
“This labor is used by English employers to produce the goods that the English create and consume,” he explained. “We recommend that you reform your labor market. Inform English employers that they must be as patriotic as the conservative government.”
People fleeing conflict or poverty in Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, Eritrea, and elsewhere are undertaking the risky trek across the Mediterranean in small, unseaworthy ships, hoping to gain asylum or better chances in the United Kingdom. In comparison to 2020, the number of crossings has increased this year.
Following the tragedy on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke and agreed “that it is critical to keep all options on the table to stop these deadly crossings and disrupt the criminal gangs’ economic model,” according to Johnson’s office.
According to Macron’s office, he urged for an immediate funding boost for the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, as well as an emergency conference of European government ministers. Macron stated, “France will not allow the Channel to become a cemetery
