Four people drown in English Channel near French coast
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Three of the deceased were found unconscious in the water, while a fourth person was still clinging to the remaining dinghy.
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Migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, are stopped by Tunisian Maritime National Guard at sea during an attempt to get to Italy, near the coast of Sfax, Tunisia, April 18, 2023. (AP)
Four people passed away overnight from drowning in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach the United Kingdom, French officials said on Friday.
The four victims were unable to be resuscitated after three of the deceased were found unconscious in the water, while the fourth was clinging to the wreckage of the dinghy.
63 people were rescued in an operation involving a navy boat, a helicopter, and a fishing boat after one of the tubes of the inflatable dinghy capsized off France's northern coast in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
"All the shipwrecked individuals were then brought ashore in Boulogne and taken care of by the emergency services on land," the French coastguard said.
An RNFI lifeboat from the Dover and Border force vessel was initially offered by the British Coastguard to the French Coastguard, but it was not required in the rescue operation, an HM Coastguard spokesperson said.
UN calls on Starmer to deal with refugee crisis
The incident marks the first migrant deaths under Prime Minister Keir Starmer's newly appointed government since April 23, when five people died off the coast of France.
The UN refugee agency published a report on Friday calling for Starmer's government to deal with refugee issues through international cooperation and reinforce the right to asylum.
"The further loss of life in the Channel this morning is truly awful," UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said, adding, "My thoughts are with all those affected. Criminal gangs are making vast profit from putting lives at risk. We are accelerating action with international partners to pursue and bring down dangerous smuggler gangs."
The further loss of life in the Channel this morning is truly awful. My thoughts are with all those affected.
— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) July 12, 2024
Criminal gangs are making vast profit from putting lives at risk. We are accelerating action with international partners to pursue & bring down dangerous smuggler gangs.
The bigger picture
The UK's Home Office released recent statistics on Wednesday regarding people crossing the English Channel on boats.
14,058 people have crossed the Channel in 2024, as of July 10, a significant increase compared to the previous four years amid this timeframe.
419 people crossed the Channel from France to the UK in six boats on Tuesday, revealing an average of 70 people per boat, reported the Press Association. In addition, 19 people have died this year in their attempts to reach the UK.
29,437 people came to the UK through this route in 2023.
In an attempt to combat the migration crisis, Rwanda and the UK signed a migration agreement in 2022 that would enable the government to deport individuals identified as undocumented migrants or asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, asylum, and resettlement.
The plan has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and some politicians who believe the measure will not help stem the flow of migrants. Although the first deportation flight was slated for June 2022, it never occurred due to the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights, which deemed it unlawful.
