France holds crisis talks after death of 27 migrants crossing the English Channel

Interior Minister Gerald Dormann announced Thursday morning that a fifth man suspected of being involved in an attempt to smuggle a group of migrants across the Channel in a small boat has been arrested. Mr Darmanin is due to speak to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Thursday.

French officials said seven women and three minors were among the dead. Mr Darmanin said the two survivors, who have been confirmed as Iraqi and Somali nationals, are recovering from hypothermia. The rescue team was first alerted about the incident at around 2 pm local time on Wednesday when a fisherman reported seeing bodies floating in the sea.

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into human trafficking and grievous homicide. The migrants were aboard an inflatable boat that rescuers found deflated near the floating bodies.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex is chairing a meeting with seven government ministers on Thursday to discuss what can be done to resolve the crisis following the deaths.

The migrant crossing has fueled rising tensions between France and the UK amid several disputes that have soured relations between the countries. British officials say France is not doing enough to stop people from crossing in, while France says Britain has made it too easy for migrants to work illegally, allowing them to travel to France. on the north bank of the

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke on the phone on Wednesday about the tragedy and agreed to step up efforts to prevent loss of life in the channel.

Mr Darmanin said smugglers took the greatest responsibility for the tragedy, adding that countries such as France, the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium needed to cooperate better to prevent further tragedies.

“Unfortunately, we are only very aware of how things normally go,” Mr Darminin told local radio station RTL. “Migrants, sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds, storm the beach very quickly to go to England, often at high tide, in makeshift boats provided by smugglers, who are the culprits.”

“There are pregnant women, there are children who died yesterday,” he said. “For a few thousand euros these people are exploited and promised El Dorado in England and unfortunately this has been happening every day for 20 years.”

Officials say increased checks and security at the port of Calais and the Channel Tunnel have prompted an increasing number of migrants to attempt to reach the UK in small boats.

About 31,500 migrants have left the French coast since the start of the year, of whom 7,800 have been rescued at sea, said Philippe Dutrieux, the region’s senior French maritime-law-enforcement officer, in an interview with Agence France-Presse in November. said in. 20.

Mr Dutrix said smuggling migrants was a lucrative business, adding that the boats could go from anywhere along the nearly 81-mile-long coastline, making it difficult for France to police. On November 3 alone, around 1,600 migrants attempted to cross the channel, he said.

“It’s a game of cat and mouse,” said Mr. Deutreaux. “When the weather’s nice, you can see the Cliffs of Dover and you’re under the impression that you can touch them.”

Many who risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa or travel for months from Asia immediately head north to the UK but are often trapped in France, where their presence Recent years have promoted both cross-channel stress and local response.

For expatriates in Calais, France, the appeal to cross the Channel is strong. It is easier for them to find work in the UK than in France, and many of those crossing from countries such as Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Syria speak at least some English.

Recently, there has been a dispute between France and Britain on many issues. Controversies have erupted over post-Brexit matters, including fishing rights in the Channel and an agreement between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to avoid border checks.

Britain angered France in September by striking a deal with Australia and the US that pulled France out of a multi-billion dollar project to supply submarines to Australia.

Mr Macron called on Wednesday an “emergency meeting of European ministers facing the migration challenge”. He resolved to find out those responsible for the smuggling of migrants.

“France will not allow the Channel to become a graveyard,” he said, calling for an “immediate reinforcement” of the resources of Frontex, the EU’s border-control agency.

Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchert told reporters that governments “need to respond and respond quickly,” adding that “we should not wait for tragedies to act.”

“What annoys me most this evening is that for several weeks I have been warning members of the government to warn them that there are extraordinary pressures at this time,” Ms Bouchart said on Wednesday.