Child ‘trampled to death’ as ​​several migrants die trying to cross the Channel

Several migrants, including a child, have died trying to cross the English Channel.

At least four migrants were killed in two separate incidents, according to the French local newspaper La Voix du Nord.

Among them is a child who was “trampled to death” on a boat, the French Interior Ministry said.

“Today several people died trying to cross the Channel,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wrote on social media.

“A child was trampled to death in a boat. A terrible incident that should make us all aware of the tragedy that is unfolding.

“The human smugglers have the blood of these people on their hands and our government will intensify the fight against these mafias who are getting rich by organizing these border crossings of death.”

More details are expected later at a press conference in Calais.

The AFP news agency reports that a migrant boat bound for Britain called for help on Saturday morning and rescuers picked up 14 people on board, including the child.

An injured migrant on the boat was airlifted to a hospital in Boulogne, France, and the remaining passengers on the boat continued their journey, the report said.

Officials said the child was found in the boat.

The fatal incident comes after the Home Office confirmed that 395 migrants arrived in Britain on Friday, the first arrivals in five days.

The latest arrivals, who had traveled in seven boats, bring the total for the year to 25,639.

This compared to 25,330 on the same date last year and 33,611 in 2022.

Some of those who arrived on Friday were pictured wearing life jackets as they were taken to Dover on a Border Force vessel.

The arrivals came on the same day that Britain and other G7 countries agreed on an anti-smuggling action plan aimed at boosting cooperation in this area following talks in Italy.

The Home Office said this includes joint investigations and intelligence sharing in an effort to tackle criminal smuggling routes.

The action plan also describes “working together” with social media companies to monitor the internet and various platforms to prevent them from being used to facilitate migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

This includes calling on social media companies “to do more to respond to online content advertising migrant smuggling services.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We all want to put an end to dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

“As we have seen in so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, people smuggling gangs don’t care whether the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay. We will do everything we can to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.

“We are making progress and strengthening our workforce in the UK and beyond. Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and increase our efforts to investigate, apprehend and prosecute these vicious criminals.”

This is a current news item and will be updated.