At least 12 people dead and two missing, says French interior minister
France’s outgoing interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, has said all services are mobilised to locate missing people.
“Terrible shipwreck in Pas-de-Calais, off Wimereux. The provisional toll stands at 12 dead, 2 missing and several injured,” he wrote.
“All state services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims. I go to the elected officials and the emergency services,” he added.
Terrible naufrage dans le Pas-de-Calais, au large de Wimereux. Le bilan provisoire s’élève à 12 personnes décédées, 2 disparus et plusieurs blessés. Tous les services de l’État sont mobilisés pour retrouver les disparus et prendre en charge les victimes. Je me rends auprès des…
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) September 3, 2024
Key events
CEO of global children’s charity Plan International UK, Rose Caldwell, has called on the government to establish safe routes to the UK for asylum seekers.
No one – let alone a child – should ever have to risk their life to find safety, but the current lack of safe routes means this is often the only option.
It is essential that the Government now develops a framework to improve and expand safe routes for claiming asylum to ensure that no one else will have to risk their lives to find safety.
Before Tuesday, the French coastguard had recorded at least 19 Channel crossing deaths in 2024, including nine since the start of July.
The International Organisation for Migration, which records Channel crossing deaths, estimates 226 people including 35 children are missing or have died as of January 2024.
On X, the shadow home secretary, James Cleverly, said: “This is tragic & it cannot continue.
“It is not enough to talk about ‘smashing the gangs’ when the real-life consequences are so serious.
Labour must re-establish the deterrent that the NCA said we need to stop vulnerable people being exploited and secure our border.”
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said:“What has happened off the coast at Le Portel is a horrifying and deeply tragic incident.
Our hearts go out to the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives, and all those who have been seriously injured. I am in touch with my counterpart in France, Gérald Darmanin, and am being kept updated on the situation.
We pay tribute to the French coastguard and emergency services who undoubtedly saved many lives, but sadly could not save everyone. We will await the results of the French investigation into how this particular incident unfolded.
The gangs behind this appalling and callous trade in human lives have been cramming more and more people on to increasingly unseaworthy dinghies, and sending them out into the Channel even in very poor weather. They do not care about anything but the profits they make, and that is why – as well as mourning the awful loss of life – the work to dismantle these dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs and to strengthen border security is so vital and must proceed apace.
Summary of the day thus far
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At least 12 people died after their boat capsized in the Channel.
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The outgoing French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said that rescue operations were still underway to find two missing people.
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Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel near the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, said that “unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open.”
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Over 50 people were reportedly rescued.
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Civil society groups spoke out about the incident.
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Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais said “every political leader, on both sides of our Channel, needs to be asked how many lives will be lost before they end these avoidable tragedies?”
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Alex Fraser, the British Red Cross UK director for refugee support, said “nobody risks their life travelling across the Channel in a small boat unless they feel they have no other choice. More safe routes are urgently needed.”
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Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said “the number of deaths in the Channel this year has been shockingly high. It is a devastating trend that shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.”
Diane Taylor
Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais said “all of us, particularly our team in Calais, are devastated by this latest tragedy.”
Every political leader, on both sides of our Channel, needs to be asked how many lives will be lost before they end these avoidable tragedies?
Their continued obsession, and investment, in security measures is not reducing crossings, it is simply pushing people to take ever increasing risks to do so.
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is political lunacy. It’s time politicians were held accountable for their choice to dehumanise people seeking sanctuary from horrors back home. It’s time they ended these tragedies and introduced safe routes.
Alex Fraser, the British Red Cross UK director for refugee support, said that “we are devastated to hear that people have lost their lives while attempting to cross the Channel today.”
“Nobody risks their life travelling across the Channel in a small boat unless they feel they have no other choice. More safe routes are urgently needed to help prevent people from taking dangerous journeys to reach the UK,” he said.
Wanda Wyporska, chief executive at Safe Passage International, has said that “far too many children, women and men have already lost their lives this year in terrifying ways across the Channel. Every one of them was preventable.”
“Today’s tragedy must be the last. Without safe alternatives to reach protection in the UK, people fleeing war and persecution will continue to make dangerous journeys at the hands of smugglers as they have no other choice. We must not accept this Government’s refusal to prioritise opening new safe routes,” she added.
A boat has capsized off the Libyan coast, the Associated Press reported citing Libyan authorities said.
One person has died and 22 are missing.
53 people rescued: report
The maritime prefecture has said that the boat was carrying 65 people, BFMTV reported citing a statement.
12 people died, and more than fifty were rescued.
“Several of them require emergency medical care,” it said.
Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel near the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, said that “unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open,” the Associated Press reported.
“It’s a big drama,” he added.
At least 12 people dead and two missing, says French interior minister
France’s outgoing interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, has said all services are mobilised to locate missing people.
“Terrible shipwreck in Pas-de-Calais, off Wimereux. The provisional toll stands at 12 dead, 2 missing and several injured,” he wrote.
“All state services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims. I go to the elected officials and the emergency services,” he added.
Terrible naufrage dans le Pas-de-Calais, au large de Wimereux. Le bilan provisoire s’élève à 12 personnes décédées, 2 disparus et plusieurs blessés. Tous les services de l’État sont mobilisés pour retrouver les disparus et prendre en charge les victimes. Je me rends auprès des…
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) September 3, 2024
At least 13 dead, including three minors: report
A source close to the investigation told AFP at least 13 people had perished including three minors.
French navy helicopters, fishing boats and military vessels are being mobilised for the rescue operation, naval officer Etienne Baggio said.
Frédéric Cuvillier, the mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, said “a new tragedy linked to the migration situation has just taken place on our territory.”
“A boat carrying nearly 70 people sank off our coast. The toll, unfortunately without being stabilised, is heavy with more than 10 victims and people in absolute emergency situations,” he said in a social media post.
La Voix du Nord’s Florent Caffery is reporting that the death toll has gone up to 13.
Diane Taylor
Responding to news about the sinking of a small boat in the Channel and reports of several deaths, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said that “we are heartbroken by the tragic deaths in the latest incident in the Channel.”
The number of deaths in the Channel this year has been shockingly high. It is a devastating trend that shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.
Enforcement alone is not the solution. Heightened security and policing measures on the French coast have led to increasingly perilous crossings, launching from more dangerous locations and in flimsy, overcrowded vessels.
In addition to taking action against the criminal gangs themselves, the Government must develop a plan to improve and expand safe routes for those seeking safety.
An official told AFP that a ship had spotted the boat in difficulty with more than 60 people on board and came to its aid.