More than 50 migrants rescued in English Channel, bodies found at sea

More than 50 migrants were rescued in the English Channel and their bodies were found floating at sea.

The French coastguard said 51 people were rescued after a boat became stranded with engine failure off the coast of Odresselles in northern France on Monday night.

The group was met by emergency services on the Boulogne-sur-Mer seafront and taken to safety.

Meanwhile, a ferry reported seeing a body adrift off the coast of Calais on Tuesday, prompting a French patrol boat to conduct a search that led to the discovery of two bodies.

The bodies were brought ashore and the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor’s office began an investigation.

French authorities have not yet confirmed whether the dead were migrants.

Kent Police said another body was pulled from the English Channel when officers were called to the Dover lifeboat station on Tuesday.

It is not yet known whether the man was a migrant, but the investigation is trying to establish the circumstances.

It comes after newly appointed shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticized the government’s efforts to tackle the Channel crossing problem since Labor came to power as data showed more than 31,000 migrants have arrived in the UK this year.

On Wednesday, 263 people made the trip on four boats, bringing the provisional total for 2024 to 31,535, the Home Office said.

That’s up 18% from last year (26,699) but down 21% from 2022 (39,929), a record year for crossings.

Around 50 people have died trying to cross the English Channel this year, according to incidents recorded by the French coastguard.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also reported 11 more migrant deaths believed to be related to attempted border crossings in 2024.

This figure does not include the incident that occurred on Tuesday.

Refugee charities have warned that deaths in the English Channel have become “horrifyingly regular” and have repeatedly called for safe alternative crossing routes to prevent more deaths during the dangerous crossing.

In the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Philp criticized ministers for abandoning the previous government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda “before it even started”.

“The first flight was supposed to take off, as far as I remember, on July 24, but it was cancelled.

“Now if they had allowed this flight to continue, if they had allowed the scheme to continue, the chilling effect would have already begun,” he told MPs.

Referring to comments from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he also called on the government to “urgently introduce offshore processing”, adding: “Because of its mistakes, Labor is breaking its manifesto promise to end the use of hotels” by calling for that pledge. no longer open hotels to house asylum seekers.

Border Security and Asylum Minister Dame Angela Eagle responded: “In Rwanda, from the time it started until we wrote it off, 83,500 people crossed the border in small boats during that period.

“If it’s a deterrent, then I think (Chris Philp) has a peculiar view of what deterrence means in English.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has yet to set a target or timetable for restricting Channel crossings, but promised the Government would “try to make progress as quickly as possible”.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised the government would “treat smugglers like terrorists” as he announced an extra £75 million for his Border Security Command during a speech at Interpol’s general assembly in Glasgow on Monday.

The next day, the leader of a “prolific” people-smuggling ring believed to be behind 10,000 Channel crossings was jailed for 15 years by a French court, while 17 other members of the network were also convicted.

The group was brought to justice following a 2022 police operation across Europe that led to dozens of arrests in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, with more than 100 boats, 1,000 life jackets, engines and cash seized.