BOULOGNE MER: The French government said that a significant rescue operation was in progress when at least 12 migrants perished off the northern French coast on Tuesday while attempting to cross the Channel to England in the deadliest such incident of the year.
Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister of France, announced the number of dead on X but said that two migrants were unaccounted for. A boat transporting migrants encountered difficulties in Wimereux, a village located approximately five kilometers from Boulogne-sur-Mer on the French coast, resulting in multiple injuries. According to Darmanin, he was on his way to speak with officials in the disaster area. He declared, “Every government service is mobilized to locate the missing and care for the injured.”
French marine authorities said that emergency personnel were on the scene in full force, providing immediate medical help. According to a person familiar with the inquiry, three children were among the deceased.
According to naval commander Etienne Baggio, the crew of the Minck, a ship operated by the French government, was the first to notice the problem and to act. He claimed that military ships, fishing boats, and helicopters from the French navy are being called into action for the ongoing operation.
This year’s deadliest calamity has already claimed 25 lives at migrant crossings, surpassing the 12 fatalities from 2023.
Yvette Cooper, the UK’s interior secretary, described the fatalities on Tuesday as “horrifying and deeply tragic.” Criticizing the “gangs behind this appalling and callous trade in human lives,” she said that their only concern is their financial gain.
