Sunday October 6, 2024
FILE - A boat thought to carry migrants is escorted by a vessel from the French Gendarmerie Nationale in the English Channel off Wimereux beach, France, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga, File)
Mogadishu (HOL) — A two-year-old Somali boy was among four migrants who died while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to Britain on Saturday, according to French authorities. The child suffocated aboard an overcrowded boat carrying nearly 90 people, underlining the growing dangers of human trafficking operations in the region.
The vessel carrying the young boy faced engine failure, leading to chaos onboard. French rescue services responded to distress signals and saved 15 migrants from the boat.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned the smugglers responsible, stating they have "the blood of these people on their hands" and vowed more decisive action to combat the criminal networks profiting from these dangerous crossings.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper echoed this sentiment, describing the deaths as "appalling" and emphasizing that "criminal smuggler gangs continue to organize these dangerous boat crossings. The gangs do not care if people live or die – this is a terrible trade in lives."
The child, who was born in Germany to a Somali mother, was separated from his family before being forced onto the boat by traffickers, Pas-de-Calais Prefect Jacques Billant said. Despite rescue efforts, including the intervention of medics from France's mobile emergency and maritime resuscitation service, the boy was pronounced dead aboard the rescue ship Abeille Normandie.
In a separate incident the same day, three adult migrants died aboard another boat carrying 71 people. They were believed to have been crushed and drowned as the vessel took on water, Billant reported.
Both incidents have led to criminal investigations as authorities work to crack down on human trafficking gangs operating in the region. Officials warn that smugglers are increasingly packing more people onto small, unseaworthy boats, now averaging about 65 passengers per crossing.
French authorities have ramped up efforts to prevent further tragedies, stopping 31 attempted crossings between Thursday and Saturday. During this period, around 250 migrants were rescued at sea by French maritime services.
The rising number of deaths highlights the deadly risks faced by migrants seeking to reach Britain by crossing the English Channel. At least 51 migrants have died so far in 2024 while attempting to make the dangerous crossing. Since 2018, at least 194 migrants have lost their lives in the Channel, according to estimates from the International Organization for Migration.