In a tragic incident, several people, including a young child, lost their lives on Saturday while attempting to cross the English Channel in overcrowded boats. Announced France’s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau.
Speaking in French, Retailleau said ‘Today, several people died while trying to make the dangerous journey across the Channel… Among them, a child was trampled to death on one of the overcrowded boats.”
Aujourd’hui plusieurs personnes ont péri en tentant de traverser la Manche. Un enfant est mort piétiné dans une embarcation. Épouvantable drame qui doit tous nous faire prendre conscience de la tragédie qui se joue. Les passeurs ont le sang de ces personnes sur les mains et notre…
— Bruno Retailleau (@BrunoRetailleau) October 5, 2024
It remains unclear whether the minister was referring to multiple casualties on a single boat or deaths across several vessels.
Rescue Operation
But, rescue operations took place early on Saturday amid an increase in crossings as weather conditions had improved. As per Authorities in the Pas-de-Calais region, another individual was injured and airlifted to a hospital in Boulogne after a distress call from a small dinghy early Saturday morning.
French officials clarified that this was not a shipwreck and that the child’s body was found inside the boat.
The child, believed to be around four years old, was one of 14 passengers on the dinghy that was rescued by the French tow vessel, Abeille Normandie.
The rescued passengers, including the deceased child, disembarked at Le Portel port, revealed town’s mayor, Olivier Barbarin. The remaining passengers were allowed to continue their journey.
Meanwhile, Retailleau emphasized that this tragic event highlights the urgent need to combat the human trafficking networks responsible for organizing these perilous crossings. “The blood of these innocent people is on the hands of the smugglers. Our government will intensify efforts to dismantle these criminal groups profiting from what are essentially death crossings.”
Earlier in France, newly appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier also pledged a tougher stance against human traffickers in his inaugural speech to the National Assembly, vowing his government would be “ruthless” with those who exploit vulnerable people for profit.
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