MADRID 29 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
At least three people died this Sunday in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to Great Britain, specifically near the coast of Sangatte, in the French department of Pas de Calais.
Two people died at dawn, while the body of the third victim was located around 10:00 a.m. and transported in a Navy helicopter, according to the local newspaper ‘La Voix du Nord’.
Several dozen people fell into the water in circumstances that have yet to be clarified. About 48 who had life jackets managed to arrive at around 8:00 a.m. at the Tom Souville marina in Sangatte, where a medical post was set up and command of the rescue operation was set up.
Of the survivors, many with symptoms of hypothermia, six have been admitted to hospitals in Calais and Boulogne and another 41 are being treated by Civil Protection and the Unified Association for the Development of Social Action, Solidarity and Emancipation (AUDASSE) .
The helicopter sent to the area managed to rescue a lifeless body shortly afterwards, as confirmed by the mayor of Sangatte, Guy Allemand. The three deceased are adult males.
Allemand explained that there was a boat with between 50 and 60 people on board, most of them Sudanese, which was attacked by another fifty people, Syrians, who were trying to get on board, which “caused panic” and “there was a fight “.
The boat continued on its way to the United Kingdom, but dozens of people were left behind, according to Allemand, who stressed that the death toll is “provisional.”
The French authorities have launched an investigation by the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor’s office.
So far this year, 76 deaths have been confirmed related to attempts to cross the English Channel to reach the United Kingdom, according to the prefect of Pas de Calais, Jacques Billant, who has acknowledged that it has been “a particularly deadly year.” .