Tragedy on the English Channel: migrants from small boats die and children are trampled to death

Several migrants, including a young child, have died trying to cross the Channel, French authorities said on Saturday.

Bruno Retailleau, France’s interior minister, said the child had been “trampled to death” in a boat.

In a statement he added: “Today several people have died trying to cross the Channel.

“A child was trampled to death in a boat. A terrible tragedy 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.”

Local newspaper La Voix Du Nord has reported that three people have been killed near Calais and one near Boulogne as rescue operations are underway.

The deaths come after 395 migrants arrived in Britain after crossing the English Channel on Friday in 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.

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.”