From France to the UK, 2 immigrants died for many days during an attempted sea transit
PARIS (AP) – French maritime authorities said Thursday that two immigrants have tried to cross dangerous waters from Britain to Britain in the past two days. They are the seventh and eighth immigration deaths counted by French authorities at sea this year.
One person was one of 15 people rescued from an overloaded boat or rescued in the waters between Calais and Dunkirk by dawn Thursday, authorities said in a statement.
The ship initially boarded about 40 people and then returned to shore about three hours later to pick up more people, the statement said. It said the dead were found to be unconscious and unable to recover from the medical team.
The statement said that after the rescue, the ship continued to head towards the UK, with about 80 people on board.
In the second incident, another inflatable boat had trouble the day before, according to an earlier statement from the French maritime authorities. Two people were pulled from the sea, but one of them was breathless and was later pronounced dead, the statement said.
Europe’s increasingly stringent asylum rules, increasing xenophobia and hostile treatment of immigrants are driving many immigrants to the north. Although the British government is also hostile, many immigrants have family or friends in the UK and their perception will have more opportunities there.
