Migrants Still Trying to Cross English Channel After Fatal Boat Incident

Despite recent deaths after a boat that was carrying migrants who were attempting to cross the English Channel from northern France to Britain capsized on Tuesday, dozens of migrants on Wednesday made another attempt at crossing the channel.

On Tuesday, a boat carrying migrants capsized as the boat encountered difficulties off Gris-Nez point, located between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais. The incident killed 12 people as dozens more people were plunged into dangerous waters, officials reported.

Investigators have confirmed that 10 of the 12 victims were women, and six of the deceased were minors. Many of the victims were believed to be Eritrean, according to French prosecutor Guirec Le Bras. The boat, which sank about 3 miles from the French coast, was also found to be carrying many passengers without life vests.

However, on Wednesday despite the fatality of yesterday’s incident, migrants continued to make the journey in a crowded inflatable boat, French maritime authorities confirmed.

The Associated Press (AP) filmed the inflatable boat on Wednesday and said it was carrying about 40 to 50 people, many of whom were wearing life vests.

Newsweek reached out to the French maritime agency via email on Wednesday for comment.

In an effort to prevent further fatalities, the French maritime agency that oversees that stretch of sea said they were monitoring the inflatable boat in case it ran into difficulty or people aboard requested assistance.

However, authorities noted that while international law forbids such makeshift boats from being used at sea, attempting to forcibly stop these heavily-laden vessels would be too dangerous.

“It’s difficult to achieve with more than 50 people on board who are vehemently refusing to be rescued. The main risk is a stampede on board and then a capsizing, these boats being neither stable nor reliable. The risk of loss of human life being too high for an intervention under duress, the choice is made to prioritize the protection of the people on board and by simply monitoring from a distance the navigation capabilities of these boats,” the French maritime agency said in a statement to the AP.

The growing number of people attempting the crossing has put pressure on both the French and U.K. governments.

In the coastal town of Wimereux, where the latest attempt occurred, Mayor Jean-Luc Dubaële expressed his frustration with the lack of action from both French and British authorities.

In a statement via phone to the AP, he described the situation as “unacceptable” and “scandalous,” calling on both nations to devise a sustainable solution to curb these dangerous crossings.

“Why do they all want to go to Britain?” Dubaële asked. “They could seek asylum in France, but none ask for the right to asylum in France. They all want to go to Britain. So it is high time that we sit around a table with the new British government.”

More than 12,000 people have reached England in small boats in the first five months of the year, 18 percent more than during the same period last year, according to data published by the U.K.’s Home Office.

In addition, in the past week alone, more than 2,100 migrants have tried to cross the English Channel in small boats, according to the U.K. Home Office. The data includes people found in the channel or on arrival.

At least 30 migrants have died or gone missing while trying to cross to the U.K. this year, according to the International Organization for Migration, not including the latest deaths on Tuesday.

Increasingly strict asylum rules in Europe and hostile treatment of migrants have pushed many further north, and many migrants have family or friends in the U.K. and a perception they will have more opportunities there.

Meanwhile, this crisis comes on the heels of the U.K.’s general election in July, where migration and cross-channel issues were a pivotal topic. Newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made tackling illegal migration a priority for his administration.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.