Publish dateSunday 13 August 2023 - 09:44
Story Code : 274725
The migrant boat sank in the English Channel; 6 citizens of the country died
Six Afghan citizens died in a boat carrying about 60 migrants who were trying to cross the English Channel on Saturday morning, August 12. On the other hand, "5 to 10" other people are still missing.
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Philippe Sabatier, deputy prosecutor of Boulon Sormer, told AFP that the six people who died, all of them were Afghan men around 30 years old. He added that most of the passengers on the boat were Afghans and some Sudanese were also present.
 
He stated that a total of 49 people were saved, of which 36 were on the French side and 13 were saved by the British Coast Guard.
 
According to Euro News, the French prosecutor's office announced that this incident happened at around 2 am in the waters of the northern coast of France.
 
In a statement published by the French Channel and North Sea Police Department, it is also stated: "Six people were found in critical condition, and one of them, who was taken by helicopter to Calais Hospital, was pronounced dead."
 
According to this statement, 5 other victims of this accident were also taken from the waves by the boat of the National Sea Rescue Society (SNSM), and all of them died after reaching the port of Calais.
 
The Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office, which started the investigation into this incident, announced that the first victim identified among the dead in this incident was an Afghan man who was between 25 and 30 years old.
 
The prosecutor's office added that the fate of "five to ten" other passengers is still unknown.
 
Agence France-Presse writes that fire engines and police forces are present at the site, and relief and civil protection tents have been set up.
 
In response to this incident, French Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne published a message on Twitter praising the "commitment of the rescue teams" and deploring the death of the migrants.
 
Three ships, a helicopter and a French plane, as well as two British ships, have been mobilized to search a large area to find the other passengers.
 
It is said that since Wednesday evening, with the improvement of weather conditions in the region, the efforts of migrants to cross the English Channel with small boats have increased.
 
According to the French Channel and North Sea Police Department, only from Thursday evening to Friday, 116 migrants, including some children, were rescued from the waves of the sea by French forces in three separate boats.
 
The British Home Office also announced that only on Thursday, 755 migrants crossed this dangerous route, setting a new daily record since the beginning of this year.
 
According to the official British figures, since 2018, more than 100,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel illegally and in small boats, and many have lost their lives in this dangerous way.
 
One of the deadliest incidents occurred in November 2021, when at least 27 migrants aged 7 to 46 died.
 
The tragedy raised tensions between Paris and London over the migration crisis, and both countries eventually agreed to step up their fight against migrant smuggling.
 
https://avapress.net/vdcgxt9xnak9uu4.5jra.html
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