05 October 2024 , 17:54
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French minister Bruno Retailleau said the child was ‘trampled to death in a boat’
A two-year-old boy, a woman and two men died lost their lives trying to cross the English Channel, French authorities have confirmed.
They died in “two tragedies” involving two overcrowded boats off the coast of France, the Prefect of Pas-de-Calais region confirmed.
Interior minister Bruno Retailleau revealed the child was "trampled to death in a boat", calling it a "terrible tragedy". He blamed people smugglers, stating they "have the blood of these people on their hands".
Local newspaper La Voix du Nord reports at least four migrants died in two separate incidents, including a young child.
A press conference is scheduled in Calais later, where a local official will provide more details.
The AFP news agency reported that a migrant boat bound for Britain called for help on Saturday morning. Rescuers picked up 14 people, including the child.
One injured migrant was airlifted to a hospital in Boulogne, France. The remaining passengers reportedly continued their journey.
Officials confirmed the child was found in the boat.
The fatal incident comes after the Home Office confirmed that 395 migrants arrived in the UK crossed the English Channel on Friday in the first arrivals in five days.
The latest arrivals, who had travelled in seven boats, bring the total for the year to 25,639.
This compares to 25,330 by the same date last year and 33,611 in 2022.
Some of those arriving on Friday were pictured wearing life jackets as they were brought to shore at Dover on a Border Force vessel.
The arrivals came on the same day as the UK and other G7 nations agreed an anti-smuggling action plan designed to boost co-operation on the issue following talks in Italy.
The Home Office said this includes joint investigations and intelligence-sharing in a bid to target criminal smuggling routes.
The action plan also details “working collaboratively” with social media companies to monitor the internet and different platforms to prevent them being used to enable migrant smuggling and people trafficking.
This includes calling on social media companies “to do more to respond to online content that advertises migrant smuggling services”.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.
“As we have seen with so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, the people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.
“We are making progress, bolstering our personnel numbers in the UK and abroad. Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest and prosecute these evil criminals.”