Another person has died following their attempt to cross the English Channel to get to the UK, French authorities have confirmed. The Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said the body of a migrant had been found following the discovery of a capsized boat.
The person was found dead on a beach near Calais on Thursday morning, as two others were found suffering from hypothermia. According to French authorities, the surviving pair were treated by emergency services, before being taken to a local hospital.
This is the third known death of a person attempting to reach the UK from France over the past two days. It follows the tragedy of another migrant who had died in their attempt of the dangerous crossing on Wednesday, while another person has been reported as missing. Reports believe the person was unconscious when pulled from the water and pronounced dead as rescuers returned to the dock.
A French-led rescue operation in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais rescued more than 400 people on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, with 343 migrants stopped on the French coast. While 456 people who had navigated busy shipping lanes from France in small boats were intercepted by UK authorities on Tuesday.
Wednesday saw another 853 people crossing into the UK on small boats, according to the Home Office. This is the highest number of crossings recorded in a single day during the current migrant crisis. The previous highest number of crossings was reported on August 21st when 828 people crossed the Channel.
Prior to that date, data compiled by the PA news agency reveals that at least 19,756 people had already reached the UK so far this year. If correct, this would bring the total number of migrant crossings to more than 20,200 – more than double the total for the whole of 2020.
People fleeing their country for the safety of their lives is no easy task, as many people perishing along the way. Last October, 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead inside a lorry container in Essex, with a haulier pleading guilty to manslaughter.
