PARIS — Four migrants died in French waters overnight on Saturday as they tried to reach a small boat setting off from the beach in the northern French town of Wimereux.
Dozens were also rescued in the freezing waters by French rescue teams, according to local French media reports. One migrant was in critical condition and has been transferred to a hospital, while others, including families with children, have been given shelter in a public building.
The migrants were trying to cross the English Channel and “found themselves in difficulty in the water as they tried to reach a boat that was already at sea,” a spokesperson for the local authority told AFP.
The deaths come as British MPs are set to debate flagship legislation designed to shore up U.K. government attempts to send asylum seekers crossing the Channel to Rwanda as a deterrent.
According to the mayor of Wimereux, many more are trying to cross the Channel this weekend, due to “favorable” weather conditions. “There is no wind, the sea is calm, even if the water is freezing. We’ll be on guard all weekend,” Mayor Jean-Luc Debaële told France Bleu Pas de Calais.
While crossings were down last year compared to record highs in 2022, hundreds of migrants, many from Afghanistan, Iran or Iraq, regularly attempt to reach British shores on small inflatable boats.
Last March, French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed on a deal worth more than €500 million to dismantle trafficking routes and increase patrols on French shores.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron described the news as “heartbreaking,” speaking on the BBC Sunday morning.
“It just shows we’ve got to stop the boats. We’ve got to stop this illegal trade in human beings,” Cameron said.
He said the U.K. had done a “vast amount” to help the French with policing and intelligence, but said the the only way to stop the boats was to ensure arrivals did not stay in Britain.
Annabelle Dickson contributed reporting.
