France, Britain trade blame after 27 migrants drown in English Channel

At least 27 migrants, including children and pregnant
women, died after their small boat sank while attempting to cross the English
Channel, a French government official said Thursday. The accident was the worst
migrant disaster on record in the narrow seaway separating England and France.
Following the accident, England and France traded blame.

The English Channel is one of the world’s busiest
shipping lanes, however, currents in the seaway are strong.

Behind the tragedy is the work of human traffickers
who overload people into small boats called dinghies and send them into the dangerous
sea lane. French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said that five suspected
traffickers have been arrested.

France had initially stated that 31 people had died in
the tragedy but later revised the number to 27.  

Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, expressed
shock over the deaths and said France should do more to deter people from
attempting to cross over through the narrow channel. Trafficking gangs were “literally
getting away with murder,” Johnson said.

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Responding to Johnson’s comment, French President
Emmanuel Macron said Britain should stop politicising the issue for domestic gain.
Darmanin said Britain should also be part of the answer.

Among survivors are two critically ill people
currently hospitalised. Both of them are suffering from severe hypothermia.

Migration through the Channel has recently emerged as
a geopolitically sensitive point for both Britain and France. Britain has accused
France of “standing by” while thousands of migrants leave their shores. France,
however, rejects the allegation. “France will not let the Channel become a
graveyard,” said Macron.

Drowning incidents in the Channel have become more
common over the last few years. Earlier this year, 14 people drowned while
trying to travel to Britain, said a local prefecture official. Seven people
died in 2020 and four people in 2019.