Home Secretary Suella Braverman said her ‘thoughts and prayers’ were with those affected by the deaths (Picture: AFP/Getty/Rex)
Campaigners have branded the deaths of six people an ‘appalling and preventable tragedy’ following the sinking of a boat carrying migrants in the Channel.
The Refugee Council urged the government to respond with ‘compassion’ to the incident while Freedom from Torture accused ministers of ‘hostile’ attitudes towards refugee protection.
Opposition MPs said the tragedy highlighted the need for action to prevent dangerous crossings being made.
Steve Smith, Chief Executive at Care4Calais, added: ‘This morning’s accident in the English Channel, in which six refugees are reported to have died, was an appalling and preventable tragedy.
‘Those who died were not just statistics, but individual people: someone’s children, someone’s siblings, and possibly someone’s parents. We send our deepest sympathies to their friends and families.’
He went on: ‘This terrible loss of life demonstrates yet again the need for a system of safe passage to the UK for refugees.
‘This would enable them to apply for asylum while in France, and then to travel safely to the UK without risking their lives in small boats.
‘It would put the people smugglers out of business overnight.’
Braverman has also recently come under fire for a government initiative to house vulnerable migrants aboard the Bibby Stockholm, an oil rig accommodation vessel (Picture: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Kolbassia Hanoussou, from Freedom From Torture, also said: ‘The tragic news of yet more deaths in the Channel, including serious injuries to many others, demonstrates the continued failure of the UK government’s hostile approach to refugee protection.’
Local authorities in France have confirmed that the first victim of this morning’s sinking was an Afghan man aged between 25 and 30 years old.
A volunteer also told Reuters they had seen migrants using shoes to bale water out of the vessel.
A UK Government spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an incident in the Channel. HM Coastguard are working on a co-ordinated response and further information will be provided in due course.’
As of August 10, 15,826 people have crossed the Channel in a small boat this year (Picture: AFP)
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic loss of life in the Channel today.’
‘I have spoken with our Border Force teams this morning who have been supporting the French authorities in response to this incident.’
Freedom From Torture’s Hanoussou added that ‘the UK Government has used the demonisation of refugees as a tactic to distract us from their failings, which have left us with a cost-of-living crisis, the NHS on its knees, and public sector strikes.’
News of the recent channel deaths follows after yesterday’s evacuation of asylum seekers from the Bibby Stockholm vessel in Dorset.
Plans to use the oil-rig accommodation vessel come as the government explores options, such as repurposing disused military sites, for alleviating the current £6 million-a-day cost of hotel accommodation for migrants.
A government spokesperson has confirmed the coast guard is ‘working on a coordinated response’ to the tragedy (Picture: AFP)
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They came under fire from campaigners and rights activists almost the moment they were announced, with many voicing concerns over the quality of living conditions on board.
Local fire authorities subsequently described safety protocols aboard the vessel as a ‘death trap.’
Yesterday’s evacuation was prompted by the discovery of Legionella bacteria, which can cause fatal pneumonia, in the boat’s water supply.
The Home Office has stated that none of those who were moved onto the barge have shown symptoms of the lung disease.
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Advocates have further described the tragic deaths of six people attempting to cross to the UK as ‘an appalling and preventable tragedy.’
