3 September 2024: Guardian: Six children among 12 dead in Channel as crowded boat ‘ripped open’
Pregnant woman among those killed in ‘horrifying’ incident as charities call on government to establish safe routes
Six children and a pregnant woman are among at least 12 people who died after a boat carrying dozens of asylum seekers to the UK was “ripped open” in one of the worst Channel tragedies since the small boats crisis began.
In a major test for Keir Starmer’s government, which is facing demands from charities to open up safe routes for those wanting to come to the UK, the French authorities said that 10 of those who had lost their lives were female and many are believed to be from Eritrea.
The French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said more than 50 people had been rescued including two who are in a critical condition from the “terrible shipwreck” off Cap Gris-Nez on Tuesday morning. Only eight of the 70 passengers were wearing life jackets, according to French officials.