Dozens of people including a young girl have died trying to cross the Channel to the UK in an inflatable boat. 34 people were believed to have been on the boat. A fishing boat sounded the alarm after spotting several people at sea off the coast of France. A rescue operation is under way in the Channel by air and sea as French and British authorities search for anyone still in the water.Two survivors are in intensive care while police have arrested four people suspected of being linked to the drownings. Boris Johnson said he was “appalled” by the tragedy. President Macron said that France “will not let the Channel become a cemetery” and promised to “find and condemn those responsible” for the tragedy. Wednesday the weather was good. A number of other people are also believed to have reached Britain in small boats on Wednesday. The narrow waterway between Britain and France is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.November has been the busiest month on record with more than 6,000 having reached the UK.
The British government has accused France of failing to control the situation. In a phone call between the two leaders, Macron called on Johnson to stop politicizing the migrant crisis for domestic political gain. “Those primarily responsible for this despicable situation are the smugglers, that is to say criminals who, for a few thousand euros, organize human trafficking from Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Asia and who then use these people to bring them to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, especially to cross the Channel and to go to Great Britain,” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said.
