(Reuters) – Five migrants, including a child, lost their lives while trying to cross the English Channel from France to Britain in a crowded small boat on Tuesday, shortly after Britain passed a bill to send asylum seekers to Rwanda in an effort to prevent the risky journeys.
The fatalities happened when a boat with 112 people onboard attempted to cross one of the world's busiest sea routes and panic spread among the passengers not far from the coast.
Rescuers saved 49 individuals, with four brought to the hospital, but others remained on the boat, determined to reach Britain.
The French coastguard is still searching for any survivors.
“A tragedy occurred on a boat overloaded with migrants early this morning. We are saddened by the deaths of five individuals, including a seven-year-old girl, a woman, and three men,” local prefect Jacques Billant told reporters.
“The engine stopped a few hundred meters away from the shore and several people fell into the water,” Billant said.
The coastguard reported that 58 people had stayed onboard.
“They did not want to be rescued, they managed to restart the engine and headed towards Britain,” Billant said.
The boat had departed from Wimereux, about 32 km (20 miles) southwest of the French port of Calais.
More than 6,000 people have arrived in Britain this year via small, overloaded boats – typically flimsy inflatable dinghies – that are at risk of being hit by the waves as they attempt to reach British shores.
Tens of thousands have made the journey since 2018, and Britain has responded by spending two years trying to overcome
opposition to a divisive policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda which it hopes will discourage people from making the crossings.
FURTHER CHALLENGES
The British parliament finally passed legislation overnight to allow the deportations and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he expects the first flights to take off in 10 to 12 weeks, giving time for further legal challenges from charities, campaigners and unions.
Human rights groups and other critics argue that the policy is inhumane but Sunak told reporters on Tuesday that the government
is acting out of compassion, aiming to prevent people smugglers from forcing vulnerable people out to sea.
“They are packing more and more people into these unseaworthy dinghies, you’ve seen a massive increase in the
numbers over the past few years,” he said. “This is what tragically happens.”
Several British border force boats were seen arriving in Dover, southern England, on Tuesday, carrying large groups of
migrants.
A Reuters witness estimated that around 200 people believed to be migrants disembarked at Dover – about 42 km (26 miles)
across the water from Calais – on Tuesday.
It was not clear if the migrants on the boat involved in the Wimereux incident were among them.
Under the Rwanda scheme, anyone arriving illegally in Britain after Jan. 1, 2022 will be sent to Rwanda, some 6,400 km
(4,000 miles) away. More than 50,000 people have arrived since that date, according to official figures.
Campaigners said deterrence policies simply would not work.
"I understand that when you are fleeing for your life, not even the fear of death can prevent you from trying to reach safety," stated Kolbassia Haoussou from the British-based Freedom from Torture group.
The mayor of Wimereux, Jean-Luc Dubaele, mentioned that migrants could still find employment in Britain, making it an appealing destination regardless.
destination regardless.
"The English are responsible for the situation," he said.
The first deportation flight to Rwanda in June 2022 was stopped by European judges. Britain’s Supreme Court then upheld
a ruling that the scheme was illegal because migrants were at risk of being sent back to their home countries or to other countries where they could face mistreatment.
