At least three migrants have died from the sinking on Wednesday of the boat in which they were trying to cross from France to the United Kingdom, according to a preliminary death toll released by local authorities, who are investigating how many people were on board.
The shipwreck, which occurred off the coast of Kent, has prompted a deployment of both French and British forces, with a view to locating possible victims. According to sources quoted by the BBC, at least 43 people have been rescued alive, more than thirty of them directly from the water.
The UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has expressed her regret on Twitter and confirmed that the various agencies are already working to determine «urgently» what could have happened.
This incident took place a day after the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced new measures to try to reduce irregular immigration in the English Channel, and at a time when temperatures are freezing in the area, even below zero degrees.
British authorities estimate that some 45,000 people have crossed from France in 2022, with 460 arrivals between Friday and Sunday last week.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 200 people have died on this route since 2014, eight of them this year, pending the possible fatalities from Wednesday’s shipwreck.
