Migrant boats crossed the Channel for the first time since Christmas, according to reports yesterday (Image: GETTY)
Five migrants have died while trying to cross the English Channel to get to the UK, it has been reported - with Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron saying the "heartbreaking" incident showed "we've got to stop the boats".
The incident happened near Wimereux at around 2am this morning, triggering a major emergency response as 32 people were rescued and taken to Calais, while two people were in a critical condition, French authorities said.
French media said the migrants got into difficulty while trying to board the boat in darkness and cold temperatures.
France's Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said several "castaways" attempted to reach the beach before rescue teams discovered six unconscious people in the water and on the rocks along the coast.
Two others were found in a state of emergency, with one rushed to hospital and another receiving treatment at the scene for severe hypothermia, it said.
The belongings and deflated dinghy on the beach in Wimereux in 2021 (Image: GETTY)
The victims were described as being from Syria and Iraq.
The prefecture said a rescue helicopter remained on "high alert", adding that conditions in the Channel were "particularly dangerous".
The UK Coastguard could not comment because the incident took place in French territorial waters.
Wimereux was the scene of another tragedy in November 2021, when at least 31 people, including five women and a girl, died after the dinghy in which they were travelling capsized in the English Channel in November 2021. Pictures showed their belongings, plus the deflated boat, washed up on the beach.
Speaking on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Lord Cameron said: "It's heartbreaking when these things happen, and the loss of life that takes place. And you can only think about what an appalling end it would be, and the cold waters of the Channel in the middle of the night. It breaks my heart to hear about it.
"But it just shows we've got to stop the boats, we've got to stop this illegal trade in human beings."
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Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron described the deaths as 'heartbreaking' (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer, who described the incident as a "tragic loss of life", told Laura Kuenssberg he did not support radical action like the Rwanda plan as argued by Lord Cameron.
He said: "I think he is wrong about that. I absolutely agree that we need to stop these Channel crossings.
"They are dangerous, we have lost control of our borders, and we need to do something to stop the boats.
"Now I think the starting place for that is to go after the criminal gangs that are running this vile trade."
Separately, migrants crossing the English Channel have been reported for the first time in 2024, it was reported yesterday.
Arrivals have not been recorded since December 16, according to Home Office figures, with poor weather conditions potentially contributing to the lack of activity at sea.
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Sunak: Illegal migrants crossing to the UK down by a third
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On Saturday, a group of people believed to be migrants were brought to shore in Dover, Kent, in the morning. They were seen arriving in a Border Force vessel.
Previously there were 26 days of no crossings to the UK recorded up until January 11. This was the longest gap in small boat arrivals for five years.
The provisional annual total for 2023, 29,437, is 36 percent lower than the record 45,774 crossings for the whole of 2022. It is still the second-highest annual total on record, above the figure for 2021 (28,526).
The Refugee Council called for "decisive action" to stop Channel crossings following the "terrible loss of life".
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Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "The sad reality is that this is not the first time we are waking up to such devastating news.
"With no meaningful commitment from the Government to expand safe routes for refugees, it's only a matter of time before tragedy strikes again.
"This must act as a wake-up call to take decisive action and reduce dangerous Channel crossings by providing safe routes for those fleeing war-torn countries or repressive regimes.
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