By Matthew Roscoe • Published: 24 Nov 2021 • 17:24
SEVERAL migrants seeking to cross the Channel from France to England have tragically died Wednesday, November 24, when their boat sank off the coast of the northern port of Calais, French authorities said.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed on Twitter that the boat had sunk in the Channel and that a French patrol vessel had found five dead bodies and five more people unconscious in the water. A fisherman sounded the alarm about the accident at around 2 pm.
In his tweet, Darmanin expressed his “strong emotion at the drama of the many deaths due to the capsizing of a migrant boat in the Channel.”
Forte émotion devant le drame des nombreux morts dû au chavirage d’un bateau de migrants dans la Manche. On ne dira jamais assez le caractère criminel des passeurs qui organisent ces traversées. Je me rends sur place. — Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) November 24, 2021
Forte émotion devant le drame des nombreux morts dû au chavirage d’un bateau de migrants dans la Manche. On ne dira jamais assez le caractère criminel des passeurs qui organisent ces traversées. Je me rends sur place.
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) November 24, 2021
Speaking on his way to Calais, Darmanin told local newspaper La Voix du Nord : “We can never say enough about the criminal nature of the smugglers who organizes these crossings.”
According to Reuters, a coast guard said that 20 people had been found at sea.
A police source said: “A search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of Calais.
“We think several people have died as their vessel sank.”
Earlier this week, Home Secretary Priti Patel described the number of illegal migrants departing France as “unacceptable”.
This is a developing news story, please check back or refresh this page for further updates.
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Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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