Migrants in need in the Channel: one dead and two missing Ghanaian parliament tightens penalties for homosexuals

A migrant died near Calais on Wednesday while trying to cross the English Channel from northern France to Britain in a small boat. According to the Maritime Prefecture, two more migrants were missing. They were seen from a helicopter in the sea, but could not be recovered due to bad weather. In total, French helpers rescued 179 people from distress at sea during four different operations. Some of them were taken to hospitals with complete hypothermia.

Dozens of migrants ended up in icy waters at Merlimont overnight as they tried to board a dinghy waiting to leave. At dawn, another boat with about 50 people on board broke into two parts, as the newspaper “La Voix du Nord” reported. Those affected were able to swim back to the beach, where the fire brigade and police dealt with about thirty of them. A little later, according to the newspaper, about twenty castaways, mainly Vietnamese, were housed in a community center near Wimereux. At another time, the crossing of about twenty migrants also failed and three were taken to hospital.

For a long time, many migrants from the northern French coast crossed the English Channel to Great Britain in rubber boats. Migrants die repeatedly during crossings organized by smugglers. Since 2018, France has been taking action against migration deemed undesirable by the British government, with financial support from London. The British border guards and the European border protection agency Frontex also want to work more closely together.

A few days ago, numerous suspected smugglers were arrested during a strike against smuggling gangs in several European countries, including Germany. The suspects are said to have been involved in smuggling across the English Channel. (sda/dpa/lyn)