A harrowing incident in the English Channel has claimed the lives of five migrants after their boat capsized off the coast of France. One survivor recounted the terrifying ordeal, stating that those on board “were drowning straight away.”

This tragic event unfolded early on Sunday, south of Calais, near the town of Wimereux. The group, consisting of up to 80 individuals from Syria and Iraq, found themselves in dire straits amidst freezing conditions in the early hours of the morning.

The ill-fated vessel, carrying at least ten young children, including a one-month-old baby, attempted to set sail in darkness from a beach at Wimereux, located approximately 20 miles along the coast from Calais. Tragically, the boat capsized at 1:45 a.m.

One survivor, speaking to La Voix du Nord newspaper, shared the distressing experience: “We were drowning straight away.”

French authorities swiftly launched a large-scale rescue operation, managing to save 72 people from the frigid waters of the Channel. Among the survivors, 20 individuals, including two young children and a pregnant woman, were suffering from advanced hypothermia, necessitating urgent medical attention.

In a separate incident, official data revealed that three boats carrying 124 migrants successfully reached Dover on Saturday. These marked the first successful crossings of the year 2024 and ended a 27-day hiatus, the longest since 2018.

Sunday’s tragedy, the first reported migrant deaths in the Channel this year, has reignited calls for decisive action in addressing the ongoing small boat crisis.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron expressed his grief, emphasizing the urgency of tackling the issue. He stated, “The heart-breaking deaths show that we’ve got to stop this illegal trade in human beings.” Cameron underscored the importance of Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda policy, which is set for crucial votes in the Commons this week.

The survivors’ accounts paint a harrowing picture of their ill-fated journey. A 29-year-old Sudanese man who was part of the crossing described witnessing people disappearing into the dark and freezing waters. “Just a few meters into the sea and the water was up to our chest. People managed to grab the boat and climb in. Others didn’t… The waves were taking us back to the beach. I saw people disappear when they jumped off the boat,” he recounted.

A tugboat patrolling the coast came to their aid and discovered several individuals unconscious in the water. According to a French emergency services source, the distress call was received at around 2 a.m. local time. The source further explained, “A boat launched at Wimereux, but it was overloaded with more than 70 people, and some of those who wanted to travel in the boat ended up in the sea.

While rescue teams found four bodies at the scene, a fifth was discovered washed up on the beach a few hundred meters away by a walker later that morning. Though the victims have yet to be formally identified, it is believed they hailed from Syria and Iraq. Only one individual possessed identity documents, which indicated a birth year of 1996.

Emergency services managed to resuscitate a sixth victim who had gone into cardiac arrest at the scene. However, this young adult remains in critical condition in intensive care.

The search and rescue operation involved a French Navy helicopter, multiple rescue vessels, and over 50 firefighters. The operation was complicated by the shallow waters, making it impossible for the French navy’s boats to access the area.

The deadly attempted crossing is believed to have been organized by human smugglers, prompting a criminal investigation. Authorities are currently looking into charges of aggravated manslaughter and aiding illegal entry or stay.

A Home Office spokesman expressed condolences and confirmed the incident. They added, “French authorities are leading the response and investigation.”

Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, stressed the urgency of taking decisive action in response to these tragic deaths. He called for the establishment of safe routes for individuals fleeing war, emphasizing that the Channel deaths “must be a wake-up call.”

Premar-manche.gouv.fr said in a statement:

During the night of Saturday, January 13 to Sunday January 14, 2024, around 1:45 a.m., a migrant boat was reported in difficulty near Wimereux beach (62).

Several castaways try to reach the beach. The internal security forces present on site intervene to rescue the people closest to the edge. At the same time, the Gris-Nez Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (CROSS) is engaging several rescue resources.

The intervention, assistance and rescue tug (RIAS)  Abeille Normandie, chartered by the French Navy, launches its semi-rigid boat and remains at a distance. The depths are too shallow for the ship to get any closer. Around 2:00 a.m., 3 inanimate people were seen at sea. The semi-rigid managed to pick up 2 people before dropping them off on Wimereux beach where they were taken care of by the emergency services on land. The third person was able to be picked up by land services on the beach.

The Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy based in Le Touquet (62) arrived on site 15 minutes later, around 2:15 a.m.

A fourth inanimate person is seen in the rocks of the beach, by the semi-rigid Abeille Normandie. Access is difficult by sea, so this person is airlifted by the Dauphin then placed on land and taken care of by the emergency services.

Two other people with worrying health conditions were also rescued on the beach by internal security forces. One of them is inanimate, she is taken care of and then evacuated to the Boulogne-sur-mer hospital as an absolute emergency. The second person is in severe hypothermia and is being treated by the emergency services present on-site.

The CROSS also engages two resources from the SNSM of Boulogne-sur-Mer (62), the launch  Porz Gwenn and the semi-rigid  President Jacques Lebrun, to continue investigations at sea and search for possible people still adrift.

Around 8:45 a.m., a sixth inanimate person was found at the edge of Wimereux beach. This person unfortunately could not be resuscitated.

The inanimate people, as well as 32 other migrants, were taken care of within the relief structures set up by the police, civil protection, SDIS 62 and SAMU62.

The current human toll is:

– 5 people died near Wimereux beach;

– 1 person in absolute emergency,

– 1 person in relative emergency;

– 32 people supported by the emergency system in place on land.

An investigation is opened by the Boulogne-sur-mer public prosecutor’s office.

Faced with the weather conditions conducive to attempts by migrants to cross the Channel, after several days of bad weather conditions, the sea rescue system coordinated by the CROSS Gris-Nez is notably made up of 6 state vessels or chartered by the State, all mobilized in addition to other capacities. The CROSS can also call on SNSM resources or private vessels in the sector if necessary.

The Dauphin helicopter also remains on heightened alert.

Other surveillance and rescue operations are underway along the entire Pas-de-Calais coastline. These operations will be the subject of additional information during the day.

The sea water temperature is currently around 09°C. Anyone who attempts to cross the Channel using precarious nautical means is exposed to significant risks.

The maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea warns anyone who plans to cross the Channel about the risks involved. This maritime sector is one of the busiest areas in the world, with more than 400 commercial ships passing through it per day and the weather conditions are often difficult (120 days of wind greater than or equal to force 7 on an annual average for example) , it is therefore a particularly dangerous sector, particularly in the middle of winter for precarious and overloaded boats.

If you are a victim or witness to a sea incident, contact emergency services by telephone at number 196 or by VHF on channel 16.