At least five migrants, including a child, died last night off the coast of Wimereux in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach England. In reporting this, Bfm specifies that an important rescue device has been deployed. In total, 48 people were rescued.
This is not the first time Wimereux has been struck by tragedy since the beginning of this year. Five people died off the coast of the French municipality on the night between 13 and 14 January, while trying to reach a boat that would take them to England.
Cleverly in Italy to discuss joint action to stop boats
British Home Secretary James Cleverly will visit Italy this week to accelerate joint work to stem illegal immigration from North Africa. Cleverly will visit the Italian Coast Guard headquarters in Rome today to understand the operational challenges the country faces due to migrant arrivals.
During his stay in Italy, the British Home Secretary will meet his counterpart, the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and will discuss how the two countries can expand existing joint work, including in North Africa, to stem the migratory flows and prevent people from undertaking dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean.
Building on current joint work to assist the voluntary return of migrants from Tunisia to their home countries, the UK and Italy are exploring wider areas of cooperation to prevent illegal migration. This includes addressing the causes and drivers of illegal migration through the Rome Process and Italy’s G7 Presidency.
Cleverly will travel to Lampedusa on Wednesday. He will be the first British government minister to visit the island, which last year saw migrant arrivals by sea exceed the size of its population. In 2023, Lampedusa was the busiest migrant hotspot in Italy, with around 110,000 migrants disembarking.
The visit to the island will allow him to see up close how Italian authorities work with agencies such as Frontex and international humanitarian groups to track down migrant boats and save lives at sea. He will listen to the tragic consequences of migrants embarking on unsuitable boats to cross the Mediterranean.
Last month, the Minister for Countering Illegal Immigration, Michael Tomlinson, visited Libya and pledged to allocate up to one million pounds to help tackle the record number of people using the country to reach the Europe.
In February, Home Secretary Cleverly gave a speech in New York in which he called on the global community to take collective action on migration. The Home Office also agreed a deal with Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, committing to deploy British staff to the continent and vice versa, increase information sharing, conduct joint training and explore the use of new technologies.