Attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain, 5 migrants died

Five migrants died while crossing the English Channel. The deaths occurred while attempting to cross from France to the UK by small boat.

Among the dead are women and children. Al Jazeera reported this information in a report on Tuesday (April 23) night.

Five asylum seekers, including a child, died while crossing the English Channel from France to Britain in a small overcrowded boat, reports said. The incident comes hours after the British government approved a bill to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Al Jazeera said the boat, carrying 112 people, had set off from Vimereux, about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the French port of Calais, to cross one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Rescuers picked up 49 people and four of them were taken to hospital. But others stayed on the boat and continued their journey towards Britain.

Local prefect Jack Billant told reporters on Tuesday, ‘Tragedy happened on a boat loaded with migrants this morning. We mourn the death of five people, a seven-year-old girl, a woman and three men.’

He added, ‘The engine stopped a few hundred meters from the shore and several people fell into the water.’

The French coastguard said 58 people were on board and they were still searching for survivors.

Billant said, ‘They (the migrants) did not want to be rescued. They managed to restart the boat’s engine and later set off for Britain.’

Al Jazeera says more than 6,000 people have arrived in Britain in small and overcrowded boats so far this year. Attempting to enter Britain in this way is quite risky, as there is a risk of being in danger from various factors, including waves, before reaching British shores.

However, the UK government has worked for two years to get a policy approved to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The UK parliament finally passed legislation allowing deportation a day earlier.

The bill was passed in the House of Lords last Monday night. In an immediate reaction after the pass, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, ‘Now we are just waiting for the departure of the (Rwanda-bound) flights. Nothing can stand in front of us.’

He claimed, “The passage of this bill is not only a step forward (in the way of legislation), but will also be able to bring about fundamental changes in the global equation related to immigration.”

Earlier in a press conference, Sunak said, ‘We had planned to start the transfer process last spring. Unfortunately it missed. But we hope that it will be possible to start the flights to Rwanda in the next 10 to 15 weeks.

Incidentally, one of the biggest problems in the UK today is immigration. Hundreds of refugees from the poor regions of Asia, Africa and Europe are flocking to Britain almost every day through the English Channel and other border routes.

The Conservative Party came to power after winning the 2019 election. The party’s key promise in the election was to control the influx of migrants.

But in reality, the Conservative government has completely failed. Besides, in the last four years, the rate of arrival of immigrants to the country has increased continuously. Last year, a record 745,000 immigrants came to the country.

TM