Several migrants, including a child, have died while attempting to cross the English Channel, according to the French authorities.
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau said the child was “trampled to death in a boat”, saying it was a “terrible tragedy” and people smugglers “have the blood of these people on their hands”.
According to local newspaper La Voix du Nord, at least four migrants died – including a young child – in two separate incidents.
A local official is due to give a press conference in Calais later.
The AFP news agency reported that a migrant boat heading towards Britain called for assistance on Saturday morning and rescuers picked up 14 people on board, including the child.
An injured migrant on the boat was airlifted to a hospital in Boulogne, France, and the remaining passengers on the boat continued their journey, it reported.
Officials said the child was found in the boat.
Olivier Barbarin, mayor of the northern French coastal town of Le Portel, said the child was about four years old, and the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office said they were “very young”, according to AFP.
Mr Retailleau said in a post on X: “Our government will intensify the fight against these mafias who are getting rich by organising these crossings of death.”
On Tuesday, the country’s prime minister, Michel Barnier, said France needed a stricter immigration policy.
He said people traffickers “exploit misery and despair” and encourage undocumented asylum seekers to cross the Channel and the Mediterranean Sea, adding that he would be “ruthless” with the people traffickers.
The UK’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, previously said he was “absolutely determined” to tackle the smuggling gangs facilitating the crossings but he would not commit to a timeframe for doing that.
Figures from the Home Office show there were 395 migrants on 4 October who arrived in the UK in small boats without permission to enter the country, and 59 arrived on 29 September.
As of 15 September, more than 23,000 people had crossed the Channel in 2024.
At least 194 migrants died attempting to cross the English Channel between 2018 and September 2024, according to estimates from the International Organization for Migration, which is part of the UN.
This article was originally published at www.bbc.com
