French rescue workers accused of 'refusing' to help drowning migrants
French rescue workers are accused of ‘refusing’ to help migrants who drowned during Channel crossing
- French coastguard were accused of refusing to help 27 migrants who drowned
- Reports said they ignored as many as 15 calls from migrants in the Channel
- The French failed to tell Britain the boat carrying 29 people was in distress
- Only two people who were on the sinking boat in November last year survived
French coastguards were last night accused of refusing to help 27 migrants who drowned in the Channel, ignoring as many as 15 calls as they begged for their lives.
A leaked report by French police said Calais coastguards could face criminal charges for ‘failing to help people in danger’ and called for further investigation.
The papers, reported by Le Monde, said the French failed to tell Britain the boat carrying 29 migrants was in distress and sinking on November 24, 2021. Just two survived.
As a result, the British prioritised three other boats, saving 98 migrants that night.
A leaked report by French police said Calais coastguards could face criminal charges for ‘failing to help people in danger’ and called for further investigation
French emergency services, when called by the migrants, mistakenly thought they were in UK waters and did not send help.
It was not until the following afternoon that a fishing boat came across all the dead bodies in the sea.
A record 42,000 migrants have successfully crossed the English Channel in small boats this year alone.
Britain last week agreed to pay another £63 million a year to France to help finance extra security measures across the northern French coastline.
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