French navy watches on as overcrowded migrant boat is just 'SECONDS from sinking' in the Channel
An overcrowded migrant vessel (file pic)
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Boatmen have described the "horrific" moment they spotted a dangerously overcrowded boat with 60 migrants on board nearly sinking in the Channel.
The vessel was watched at a distance by the French Navy, which looked on as the boat passed into British waters.
Over 21,000 migrants have arrived this year already, with over 7,000 having made the journey since the General Election.
Eye-witnesses said the group this morning, which included freezing cold children aged three, were "hanging on for dear life."
An overcrowded migrant vessel (file pic)
PA
One boatman who witnessed the crossing told the Daily Mail: "I could not believe my eyes. It was disturbing. They were clinging on for dear life. It was horrific. It was seconds from sinking.
"It was seconds from 60 migrants potentially dying. It would have been the biggest tragedy in the Channel so far."
The eyewitness also hit out at the French navy, claiming they looked on as the vessel floated into British waters.
He said: "The children were on the floor cramped in the middle. It was appalling to see. What were the French Navy doing? They only looked about three and they were on the floor. They looked terrified. Who would do that to a child? And the French Navy were in the distance the whole time, clearly observing what was happening."
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Cumulative arrivals of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats
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More than 20,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel so far this year, latest figures show. Some 614 people made the journey in 10 boats on Wednesday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to 20,433.
This is three per cent higher than at the same point in 2023 (19,801) and 18 per cent lower than 2022 (25,065).
It is the second highest number of arrivals on a single day since the General Election, after 703 arrivals on August 11.
The highest number on any day so far this year was 882, on June 18.
Figures show 211 migrants in four boats reached Britain yesterday. A further 77 were returned to Calais.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We all want to see an end to dangerous small boat crossings, which are undermining border security and putting lives at risk.
“The new Government is taking steps to boost our border security, setting up a new Border Security Command which will bring together our intelligence and enforcement agencies, equipped with new counter-terror-style powers and hundreds of personnel stationed in the UK and overseas, to smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions in profit.”
The summer surge came as the PM pledged to deepen cooperation with France during a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.