Five refugees, including a child, lost their lives while crossing the English Channel
On Tuesday, April 23, Le Monde newspaper reported, citing a French police source, that at least five refugees, including a child, drowned while crossing the English Channel. They were attempting to reach Britain from France by boat at night. This tragedy occurs as the British Parliament passed a bill yesterday to deport refugees to Rwanda in order to prevent boats carrying refugees from entering.
Many migrants from the Middle East and Africa choose this dangerous route in hopes of a better future and pay for this journey with their lives. On March 3, a seven-year-old girl drowned in the capsizing of a boat full of refugees about 30 kilometers off the northern coast of France.
In late February, a 22-year-old man from Turkey also lost his life on this route, and two others disappeared in the English Channel near Calais. French authorities say that last year, 12 migrants lost their lives trying to cross the English Channel.