People ‘trampled’ to death in crushing collision with migrant boat, says survivor who saw son die

A man has said his son and seven others died after being “trampled” on an overcrowded migrant boat, leaving people stranded within minutes of the journey starting.

Kameran Mohammad told Sky News that his son, Dyari, was among the at least eight dead in Sunday’s incident in the Channel.

A 10-month-old baby with hypothermia was taken to hospital along with five others, while 51 people were rescued.

Mr Mohammad said they boarded at night but, like many crossings, the boat was packed with far too many people.

“When we boarded, within five minutes we found ourselves at the feet of other passengers… We continued for about half an hour,” he said.

“There was water in the boat, but I’m not sure if there was a hole in the boat or if the water came from the waves.”

Mr Mohammad described a situation that was rapidly deteriorating for the people on board – who he said included Kurds, Vietnamese, “black people”, Afghans and Persians.

“I knew my son was screaming, but we couldn’t move because we were under people’s feet,” he said.

“It wasn’t just us, there were other passengers under people’s feet. Those eight people who died were trampled and didn’t drown.”

Mr Mohammad said the crossing was abandoned due to crowds and the boat was trying to return to France.

However, officials said the boat “broke apart on the rocks” off the coast of Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais region – and that only one in six people on board had a life jacket.

“I was unconscious and they poured water on my face to revive me,” Mr Mohammad said.

“They brought down eight bodies and I saw that one of them was my son. He died under the feet of others.”

Photos of the wreckage show several black rubber rings that look like children’s toys. French authorities have not yet confirmed how the migrants died.

Mr Mohammed said his group consisted of 24 people and that he was one of the four Kurds.

However, he told Sky News that he met someone in hospital who said they were part of another group of 68 on the same boat, suggesting there were around 90 people on board.

“If there were 50 people, it would be fine,” he said. “Half the passengers were here lying at the feet of other passengers.”

He said he was told the boat was 9 metres (29 feet) long.

The deaths come less than two weeks after At least 12 people, including 10 women and girls, were killed after another boat broke apart in the Channel.

On Saturday, 801 migrants reached the UK in 14 boats – the second highest number this year – and on Sunday 292 people crossed in six boats.

In addition, French authorities rescued around 200 people off the coast of Calais during the night from Friday to Saturday.

At least 45 people have died crossing the Channel this year.

More than 21,000 people arrived in the UK in small boats between January and September, according to government figures.

Labour has promised to tackle the problems migrant crisis by targeting the criminal gangs behind the operation.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is in Italy today to meet his counterpart Giorgia Meloniand has promised a “new era” of cooperation to dismantle human trafficking networks.

Italy has seen a 60% drop in illegal migration across the Mediterranean over the past year and recently signed a controversial agreement with neighboring Albania.

Mr Keir said he was “interested” in how the scheme worked, but he is more interested in “tackling organised immigration crime, the smuggling, the human trafficking gangs, because that produces direct results”.

The government has said it will increase the number of deportation flights and use money saved from the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan to tackle border crossings.