The UK is sending Border Force ships out to spot small boats – but there is little they can do other than rescue people in danger according to media reports.
The BBC website reports that so far this year more than 25,000 people have crossed the English Channel. During this November more than 1000 people crossed the Channel to England on one day alone with at least 27 people drowned in the most recent tragedy.
The worst disaster on record involving migrants crossing from France to England ocurred on Wednesday 24 November when conditions were realtively calm. Twenty seven (27) refugees and asylum seekers died after their dinghy deflated and sank. The International Organization for Migration report it was the biggest single loss of life in the Channel since it began collecting data in 2014. Five women and a girl were among the dead.
The distance between Dover and Calais, where many migrants cross, is just 20 miles, and none of it counts as international waters.
If migrants are found in UK national waters, it is likely they will be brought to a British port.
If they are in international waters, the UK will work with French authorities to decide where to take them. Each country has search-and-rescue zones.
Yachting World provide some good advice about what to do if you encounter a migrant boat.
Related Links:
- Dozens Die as Boat Sinks in English Channel (AlJazeera)
- Channel Crossing: Are Migrant Boats Moving Further South (InfoMigrants)
- Sharp Increase in Migrant Boats Crossing the English Channel (Noonsite)
- Migrants at Sea: The Dos and Donts of Helping those in Distress (Yachting Monthly)
- Other Migrant reports on Noonsite
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Noonsite has not independently verified this information.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
