Woman and two children die in shipwreck in English Channel – World

The sinking of a boat with migrants in the English Channel caused four deaths this Tuesday, including two children, according to a still provisional balance, increasing to seven the deaths that occurred in these waters during this year.

A woman and two children, aged five and eight, are among the victims, according to French authorities.

Another 15 people were rescued and searches continue overnight.

According to the testimonies of the migrants, “there is a missing person who could be a child,” said the mayor of Loon-Plage, Hervé Tourmente, during a press conference.

The remaining survivors, men, women and children of Iranian nationality, according to the first elements, “are in a state of hypothermia” including a “serious” case, having been distributed by hospitals in Calais and Dunkirk.

The vessel, apparently a tourist fishing boat, was described by an English sailor as having capsized and sunk, after which a vast search operation was launched with six vessels and aerial means.

The authorities are trying to “recover the maximum number of people” while the exact number of passengers is not yet established, but according to Tourmente they are “19 or 20”, specifying that the climatic conditions for the crossing “were not favorable”.

Today’s tragedy brings to seven the number of migrants who have died during an illegal crossing of the English Channel since the beginning of 2020, according to data reported by the authorities, after four fatalities were reported in 2019.

However, since 2018, attempts at crossing have multiplied: between January 1 and August 31 of this year, 6,200 migrants tried their luck, in an inflatable boat for the richest, rowing, kayaking or simply a buoy for others.

In 2019, 2,358 people who attempted the crossing were rescued and taken back to the French or British coasts, compared with 538 in 2018, according to figures from the French maritime authority of the English Channel and North Sea.

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