While the situation in Calais is complicated with the multiplication of attempts to illegally cross the Channel, a tragedy occurred on Wednesday.
A migrant died in the sinking of the boat on board which he was trying, with a few dozen other people, to reach England by sea, we learned from the Dunkirk prosecutor on Wednesday.
"A person was announced to me who died today in the context of the sinking of a small boat (editor's note), which would have been damaged, and which would have been wrecked, in particular because of the overload", a declared the public prosecutor of Dunkirk, Sébastien Pive.
The "small boats" are boats of fortune, often fragile and too overloaded, provided by the smugglers.
The deceased "is a priori an adult, we are talking about someone in his thirties," said the prosecutor.
His boat was carrying "about forty people" according to the first elements of the investigation, "still to be verified", he added.
The other castaways "were recovered by the SNSM (National Society for Rescue at Sea) and brought back to land, at Loon beach," continued prosecutor Pive.
Another missing person
The prosecution has opened an investigation for "manslaughter", entrusted to the Border Police (PAF).
The maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea (Premar) confirmed this death, specifying that another person had been declared missing by his companions of the crossing, rescued during another operation off Boulogne-sur- Sea.
“I confirm the death (of a) castaway.
This is not the same person reported missing.
Whose research has been interrupted, ”said a spokesperson for Premar.
"Rescue operations are still ongoing in the area, with the recovery of many castaways," she added.
To read also "This is my last chance": in Calais, the desperate attempts of migrants to cross the Channel before winter
Rescue operations have multiplied in recent days off the North and Pas-de-Calais.
"There is strong activity this week," possibly driven by "relatively mild weather conditions" as winter approaches, observed the Dunkirk prosecutor.
During the night of Monday to Tuesday, 292 migrants had been recovered at sea during seven separate operations.
All were brought back to land and taken care of by firefighters and border police.
Since the end of 2018, illegal crossings of the Channel by migrants seeking to reach the United Kingdom have increased despite repeated warnings from the authorities who highlight the danger linked to the density of traffic, strong currents and the low temperature of the water.
According to the maritime prefect Philippe Dutrieux, some 15,400 migrants attempted the crossing between January 1 and August 31, of which 3,500 were "recovered in difficulty" in the strait and brought back to the French coast.
In 2020, crossings and attempted crossings concerned some 9,500 people, compared to 2,300 in 2019 and 600 in 2018.
On Tuesday, the state pledged to “systematically” offer accommodation to migrants who will be evicted from their makeshift camps in Calais, where a collective hunger strike puts pressure on the government at the start of the winter break. .