A seven-year-old girl drowned on Sunday morning in Watten, in the north of France, after a boat carrying migrants sank in the Aa canal which flows into the North Sea, announced the department prefecture. An investigation was opened, in particular for “ manslaughter », confirmed the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office.
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In total, 16 migrants, including 10 children aged 7 to 13, were on a small boat when it capsized in the Aa canal on Sunday morning, around thirty kilometers from the coast, shortly after their boarding. “ The boat, probably stolen, was not sized to support so many people », Specifies the prefecture.
This shipwreck so far from the coast could be explained by the fact that the migrants are leaving today from further inlandin order to bypass surveillance and walk towards the beaches out of sight.
Alerted by a walker, firefighters and police quickly arrived on the scene. But ” a 7-year-old girl died on the spot, resuscitation attempts by emergency services having been in vain », deplores the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office.
The other passengers were physically unharmed. Among them, the girl’s relatives, including her pregnant mother and 3 members of her siblings, were taken to hospital.
“ Several police custody is underway “, the Dunkirk prosecutor told us at midday. She opened an investigation to “ homicide and unintentional injuries “, ” conspiracy ” as well as'” assistance with illegal entry and stay in an organized group, putting others in danger “.
It is the third time Since the start of the year, attempted crossings to the United Kingdom have caused deaths. On Wednesday February 28, a 22-year-old Turk died off the coast of Calais and two other migrants went missing. Twelve migrants lost their lives in 2023 while trying to cross the Channel, according to the Channel and North Sea Maritime Prefecture.
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