Eight migrants died on Sunday, September 15, 2024, while trying to reach the United Kingdom by sea. Their boat quickly sank. Six survivors were hospitalized, including an infant. Since the beginning of the year, at least 46 migrants have died in the Channel.
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An overloaded boat, few life jackets, and a boat that is torn apart on the rocks as soon as it reaches the sea: eight migrants died in this shipwreck which occurred during the night of Saturday 14 to Sunday 15 September near Ambleteuse (Pas-de-Calais). The victims are ” men who are clearly adults “, declared the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, Jacques Billant, during a press briefing on the Ambleteuse dike. Six survivors were hospitalized in relative emergency, including a ten-month-old baby with hypothermia, he added.
The stowaway had nearly 60 passengers, from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt and Iran “, And ” only one in six people were equipped with a life jacket “, the prefect stressed. Having left since ” the Slack sector “, a coastal river whose mouth is located between Wimereux and Ambleteuse, the boat is ” came to run aground » on a rocky point and « was obviously torn on the rocks ” explained Jacques Billant.
Crossings are increasing thanks to favorable weather
The Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into ” assistance with the entry and stay of illegal immigrants in an organized gang, with the aggravating circumstance of endangering the lives of others “, Patrick Leleu, deputy prosecutor, told Agence France Presse. No arrests had been made by mid-morning on Sunday, he said during the prefect’s press briefing.
This tragedy occurred less than two weeks after the worst shipwreck of the year in this region, which left 12 dead September 3rd. It’s horrible. It’s another loss of life. ” reacted David Lammy, head of British diplomacy, to the BBC. ” These people died because of France and England refusing to open passageways “, lamented on X (ex-Twitter) the migrant aid association Utopia 56.
Thanks to a favourable weather window, numerous crossing attempts have taken place in recent days. In the space of 24 hours between Friday and Saturday, ” 200 shipwrecked people were rescued “, reported the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea (Prémar) on Saturday evening.
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