Migrant Boat Capsized: Large-scale rescue efforts are initiated after a migrant boat carrying more than 30 people collapsed in the bitterly cold water. Let’s learn more about what happened and how did the Migrant Boat capsize in the English Channel in detail.
Just before 3 am this morning, a boat in distress was reported to the UK coastguard. Near the area where immigrants are frequently brought ashore in Dover Harbour is an ambulance
On November 24, 2021, the worst drowning of migrants across the Channel occurred. A migrant boat fell into trouble in the early hours of today morning, prompting an air and sea rescue operation to be launched in the middle of the English Channel.
Before three in the morning, the UK coastguard received emergency calls stating that a migrant boat was in trouble.
How did the Migrant Boat capsize?
According to British maritime authorities, a tiny boat carrying migrants overturned in the early hours of Wednesday in the English Channel, sparking a significant rescue effort involving both Britain and France.
Both the passengers’ health and the boat’s condition were unknown at the time. A Royal Navy patrol boat, a French Navy helicopter, and a French fishing boat have all assisted in removing passengers from the disaster scene in addition to lifeboats and helicopters from the British Coast Guard.
Unconfirmed claims of fatalities followed the tossing of numerous individuals into the water. The number of participants and the specifics of the disaster, however, was not disclosed by the authorities.
Rescue Missions
Based on a statement from the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Navy, Border Force, Kent Police, and other partners were helping to coordinate a search and rescue effort in response to an “event involving a small boat off Kent.”
Volunteer lifeboats were sent out from several places along the Kent coast, and the station at Dungeness reported that rescue operations were still ongoing as of 9 a.m.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s data indicates that their boats started to be dispatched into the English Channel around two in the morning on Wednesday, though authorities have not yet confirmed when the boat in difficulty was initially sighted.
To a spokesperson for the British Coast Guard, a fishing boat was also assisting in the rescue along with helicopters from Lydd and Lee-on-the-Solent in southern England and one from the French Navy. The spokesperson continued, “South East Coast Ambulance, Kent Police, and an air ambulance are working with us.
Mr. Sunak Prime Minister’s statement
The incident occurred the day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced initiatives to reduce Channel migrant crossings. According to Mr. Sunak, Britain would work to reduce the enormous backlog of asylum requests.
The number of persons attempting risky boat crossings has increased over the past year, which has caused the Conservative administration political problems.
Mr. Sunak has made a point of denying asylum requests from Albania, which is becoming a major source of migrants traveling over the canal. The administration would take the necessary action to stop the boats, Mr. Sunak said in a statement to Parliament on Tuesday.
Suella Braverman’s statement
The British home secretary and minister in charge of immigration laws, Suella Braverman, announced in a statement that she was aware of a “distressing occurrence in the Channel” and that her genuine thoughts were with everyone affected.
Human rights organizations have harshly criticized Ms. Braverman for her hard line on people arriving in Britain by small boats, especially her vehement backing for a policy that would deport people seeking asylum there to Rwanda in central Africa. She claimed to have “dreamed” at one time of witnessing the first airplanes take off.
Since the program has been contested in British courts, no asylum applicants have been transferred to the African country. To stop the tiny boat crossings, Britain and France inked a new agreement last month. As part of the deal, Britain agreed to pay France 72.2 million euros ($76.4 million) throughout 2022 and 2023 to strengthen patrols on northern French beaches.
When an inflatable dinghy carrying 30 refugees crashed in French territorial waters close to Calais and Dunkirk in November 2021, the risks of boat crossings were sharply highlighted. The catastrophe, which claimed the lives of 27 passengers, was the deadliest since migrant advocacy organizations started compiling statistics.
The incident on Wednesday occurs when British temperatures have been below freezing for several days running and as wintertime conditions in the English Channel become particularly hazardous.
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.
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