Wednesday, December 14 is a day we will all remember, it was the day when tragedy struck as yet another rubber craft crossing ended in disaster. Migrants crossing the Channel from France to Dungeness got into difficulty as their flimsy craft started taking on water. Four people died as their boat capsized in freezing waters in the English Channel during the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A fishing crew spotted the dinghy sinking in ice-cold waters between just after 3am. The skipper pulled his boat alongside and his crew hauled 31 people to safety in a dramatic rescue operation.
Footage filmed from the boat showed some dressed only in t-shirts and thin lifejackets, screaming for help.
In all, more than 40 people were rescued after lifeboats, helicopters and rescue teams working with the French and British navies responded to the emergency concerning what the UK government described as “a small migrant boat in distress”.
“At 3:05am today, authorities were alerted to an incident in the Channel concerning a migrant small boat in distress,” a British government spokesperson said in a statement.
“After a coordinated search and rescue operation led by HM Coastguard, it is with regret that there have been four confirmed deaths as a result of this incident.” Investigations were underway, the statement added.
It comes as immigration to Britain organised by people-smuggling criminal gangs, has become a priority issue for prime minister Rishi Sunak’s government.
To try and alleviate the situation the government has been considering various sites where migrants arriving on our shores may safely be housed. We understand that Pontins holiday camp in Camber has been identified as a potential site and negotiations are ongoing, as covered by Rye News this week.
Image Credits: Dietlind Löffler .