A young girl, aged seven, passed away in a canal near Dunkirk when a makeshift boat carrying 16 individuals from northern France capsized on the way to the UK. This information was provided by the prefecture in the Nord department of France.
The vessel, which was transporting a pregnant mother, her husband, three children, and 10 other children aged seven to 13, capsized and everyone on board ended up in the water.
At 7:30am on Sunday morning, emergency services were notified of the incident. Unfortunately, they were unable to revive the young girl.
The location of the incident is 16 miles (26km) inland from where the boat would have emerged at the coast, raising fresh questions about the efforts the criminal smugglers use to avoid detection.
“The mayor of Watten, Daniel Deschodt, stated that we have never before gathered migrants following a shipwreck in this area.”
The occurrence is recent. We had one instance of a departure on the canal about a month ago, but nothing else. They are attempting to depart from areas further from the coast because it is overcrowded. They are now starting from inland areas, as reported by the Voix du Nord newspaper.
This marks the sixth recorded fatality of people being smuggled through the Channel in 2024.
In the month of January, five individuals lost their lives in the waters of France while trying to get onto a small boat near the coastal town of Wimereux. Additionally, over 70 people were saved despite the freezing temperatures.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have made a commitment to collaborate in efforts to combat criminal organizations. According to Europol, these organizations are primarily run by Iraqi Kurds based in Germany and involve intricate networks involving boats from China, which are brought to Belgium and stored in secure locations until enough migrants are enlisted for the dangerous voyage.
10 days ago, the French, Belgian, and German police worked together to dismantle one of the largest criminal groups in Calais. They arrested 19 individuals, including five high-ranking members who were based in Germany.
Ministers responsible for home affairs will convene in Brussels on Monday to deliberate on the most recent laws regarding migration, along with other subjects.
According to a recent report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the attempts by the UK and France to make it harder for migration may ultimately strengthen the control of the ‘heartless criminal organizations’ mentioned by Rishi Sunak, rather than weaken it.
Source: theguardian.com
