Sudanese migrant (16) dies in Channel tragedy
A 16-year-old Sudanese migrant has been found dead on a French beach after officials were told a makeshift boat had capsized.
Another migrant, suffering from hypothermia, reported in the early hours of Wednesday that a companion who could not swim was missing, France’s prefecture for the English Channel said.
At 8am, border police were informed of the discovery of a teenager’s body on the beach at Sangatte, just outside Calais.
The tragedy came as migrants making the perilous crossing of the English Channel in small boats have been a focus of the UK Government amid a record number of journeys.
Opposition MPS and charities criticised the Government’s handling of the situation and called for safe routes for asylum seekers to be provided.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has pledged to make the route “unviable”, said the death was “an upsetting and tragic loss of a young life”.
“This horrendous incident serves as a brutal reminder of the abhorrent criminal gangs and people smugglers who exploit vulnerable people,” she added.
French citizenship minister
Marlene Schiappa also said the death highlights the need to tackle the smugglers.
“Immense sadness: A 16-yearold Sudanese migrant who disappeared in the sea last night was found dead in the beach in Sangatte this morning,” she tweeted.
Local reports suggested the migrant was a male.
The French prefecture said the body was discovered on during a huge search and rescue effort after they were notified at 1.09am that a migrant suffering from hypothermia had been found on the beach. He was taken to hospital and told authorities he had been on a makeshift boat that capsized. And he said his companion, who could not swim, might still be in the water.
Labourleadersirkeirstarmer said: “The death of a 16-year-old child in the Channel is a tragedy. My thoughts are with his loved ones.
“This is a humanitarian crisis that needs a compassionate response.”
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-symonds said the Government’s response to the situation “has been lacking in compassion and competence”.
“Ministers urgently need to step up work with international partners to find a humanitarian solution to this crisis, which is costing lives,” he added.
Migrant charity worker Bridget Chapman, of the Kent Refugee Action Network, said the death “was completely avoidable” as she criticised the Government’s “chaotic and callous” handling of the situation.
“The Government needs to step up to its humanitarian responsibility immediately and ensure safe and legal passage so that we avoid any more unnecessarydeaths,”shesaid.
Clare Moseley, the founder of Care4calais, which supports refugees around the French port, said the charity is “absolutely devastated by the unnecessary death”.
She added “We can only imagine the fear he felt and our hearts go out to his family.”