Girl, 7, dies after boat carrying 16 sinks inland near Calais
A GIRL of seven drowned yesterday when a small boat packed with child migrants heading for the UK sank in northern France.
The tragedy happened shortly after 6.30am on the Aa canal at the town of Watten, 20 miles inland from Calais. Temperatures in the area were around 5C (41F) at the time.
The 16 people on board included ten children and the girl’s pregnant mother. None were wearing lifejackets, a French official revealed.
The party were hoping to enter the English Channel close to the Belgium border, to avoid police patrols, when the ‘flimsy’ boat capsized around an hour before dawn.
Bertrand Gaume, prefect of the Hauts-deFrance region, said: ‘They were all getting on board from the quay at Watten when the boat collapsed. Gendarmes and firefighters immediately rushed to the scene. This boat, probably stolen, was not big enough to support so many people. It capsized shortly after.’
Those rescued, including the girl’s parents, were taken to hospital in Dunkirk.
Three suspected people smugglers were arrested last night in connection with the
tragedy, prosecutors said. The child’s death comes after three migrants went missing, presumed drowned, in thick fog and heavy winds when their UK-bound boat capsized in the Channel last Wednesday.
Five asylum seekers, including a 14-year-old Syrian boy, also died trying to get to Britain by navigating the 21-mile Dover Strait in January.
More than 29,300 people reached the UK in small boats in 2023, even though the Government insists stopping them is a priority. It is trying to push ahead with a plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, despite the Supreme Court ruling that the policy is unlawful.
So far, 2,006 migrants have made the dangerous journey across the Channel in 2024, according to official figures. That number is down 32 per cent on last year but 49 per cent higher than the total at this stage in 2022.
A Government spokesman said: ‘Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends at this time, while they process this devastating loss of life. We will continue to work to stop the boats, working closely with France to prevent these dangerous crossings.
‘We remain committed to breaking the cycle, ending exploitation by gangs and preventing further loss of life.’