Drama in the Channel: four migrants, including a child, die trying to cross

Two boats attempted to cross the Channel to the United Kingdom this Saturday. Four people died, crushed in the boats, including a child.

“The people smugglers have the blood of these people on their hands”, castigates Bruno Retailleau. The Minister of the Interior reacts to a new tragedy that occurred this Saturday, October 5, in the Channel. Four migrants, including a two-year-old child, have died trying to reach the United Kingdom by boat.

The child died “from suffocation”, “crushed in the boat after a stampede, “buried under other people”, explained Jacques Billant, prefect of Pas-de-Calais, during a press conference. The overloaded boat had requested assistance on Saturday morning, reporting “one injured person, in addition to the dead child. The rescue services recovered 14 people on board. The other passengers on the boat continued the crossing.

The three other victims were on another boat, which was trying to reach the United Kingdom. They are two men and a woman “all three around 30 years old”, who died “probably crushed, probably suffocated and drowned in the 40 cm of water at the bottom of the inflatable boat”, indicated Jacques Billant. The public prosecutor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Guirec Le Bras, announced that an investigation had been opened for “aggravated involuntary manslaughter” and “criminal association”, indicates Franceinfo.

2024 is already the deadliest year in seven years

On the boats used by migrants to attempt the crossing, the prosecutor denounces to the press the absence of a floor, useful for stabilizing the boat. “So you have these sorts of pockets of water that gradually build up when water gets into the boat. Between panic attacks and people falling, you have several things that can cause death,” he explained. Guirec Le Bras.

The year 2024 is the deadliest since the beginning of the phenomenon of Channel crossings by inflatable boats in 2018, reports BFMTV. There were 46 deaths in 2024 before the events of this Saturday, compared to 12 in 2023. “Since September, we are at 25 deaths,” deplores Guirec Le Bras. And he added: “This clearly shows how dangerous the crossings are”, with boats that have not increased in size, while the number of migrants attempting the crossing is increasing. According to the prosecutor, the boats have gone from carrying 30 passengers to more than 65 on average.