Even after 12 deaths, other migrants risk their lives in the dangerous waters between Britain and France

WIMEREUX, France (AP) — Just a day after 12 migrants died when their small inflatable boat tore apart in a failed attempt to cross the English Channel, dozens of others attempted another crossing Wednesday on an overcrowded dinghy from the coast of northern France, under the watchful eye of French patrol boats that watched as the rickety craft struggled through the seas.

That migrants were prepared to risk their lives to cross, so soon after dozens of others had lost their lives, underlined the scale of the migration problem for the French and British governments.

The mayor of Wimereux, a French coastal town where Associated Press journalists filmed the inflatable boat full of people on Wednesday morning, called on French and British authorities to do more to stem the flow.

“Unfortunately, every day is like this for us. The smugglers — a criminal network — persist in sending people to their deaths in the Channel. It is truly unacceptable, scandalous. And it is high time that a lasting solution is found with Britain,” said Mayor Jean-Luc Dubaële, speaking by telephone.

“Let’s ask ourselves: Why do they want to go to Britain? Because there is something that draws them there,” he said. “They can apply for asylum in France. (But) nobody is asking for the right to asylum in France. They all want to go to Britain. So it is high time that we sit down with the new British government. The British government is prepared to discuss all this. So let’s use that opportunity.”

The French maritime agency that oversees that stretch of the busy waterway between France and Britain confirmed to AP that the inflatable vessel was carrying migrants. The AP team estimated there were about 40 to 50 people on board.

The maritime agency said French boats were keeping an eye on the inflatable boat in case it got into trouble or people on board called for assistance. The agency said the French coastal patrol vessel Armoise was involved in that operation, accompanied by its own smaller boat that it had with it.

The inflatable device was so full that some people sitting next to each other on the air-filled tires dangled their legs over the edge.

Many wore orange life jackets. A small patrol boat flying a French flag approached the inflatable boat at one point, and a crew on board threw more orange life jackets — about half a dozen — to the migrants, who caught them.

The grey sea of ​​the Channel was relatively calm, with small waves lapping against the beach from where the AP team was filming, as people strolled along the sand and walked their dogs.

Yet the inflatable boat seemed to move slowly. Although AP journalists filmed it for more than two hours, it remained clearly visible from shore, with the smaller French patrol boat buzzing around it and the larger one shadowing it from further away.

At least 21,720 migrants have managed to cross the English Channel so far this year, according to the UK government’s tally. That’s 3% more than the same period last year, but 19% fewer than the same period in 2022.

The boat that broke apart off the French coast on Tuesday, throwing 65 people into the sea, was one of several attempts that day. British authorities said at least 317 migrants made it through, arriving aboard five boats.

The pressing issue of cross-Channel migration was a key focus of the UK general election in July, which the Labour Party won convincingly.

One of the first measures immediately implemented was the scrapping of the previous Conservative government’s plan to send some migrants arriving in small boats to Rwanda rather than allowing them to claim asylum in Britain.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the plan was a “gimmick” and would not act as a deterrent. Instead, his government has opted to use some of the money saved by scrapping the plan to set up a beefed-up border police force to “crush” the criminal gangs behind the small boat arrivals.

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Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press writer Pan Pylas in London contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration