Migrant tragedy in the Channel

Migrants leave home to live in another country. This year, 23,000 migrants travelled by boat to the UK from France. The sea is very dangerous. Last week, 27 people died. They were in a small boat. Lifeboats saved two people.

Many migrants can’t get UK visas. They pay criminals to help them. The criminals are people traffickers. They promise to take migrants to the UK.

Gerald Darmanin is a French politician.

Gerald Darmanin: "I want to say here that the first people responsible for this despicable situation are the smugglers. That is to say criminals who, for a few thousand euros, organise the trafficking of human beings from Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and Asia. And who then use these people to bring them to Belgium, the Netherlands and France, especially, to cross the Channel and reach Great Britain."

Migrants arrive in France and sleep outside. They wait for the criminals’ boats.

Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, wants to stop people traffickers. He wants countries to work together.

Boris Johnson: "Of course we have to work with our French friends, with our European partners. And I say to our partners across the Channel, now is the time for us all to step up, to work together, to do everything we can to break these gangs, who are literally getting away with murder."

French police caught four people. They think they organised the boat. Police arrested 1,500 people traffickers this year.

European countries want to work together. But Johnson sent the French president a letter via Twitter. They don’t like Johnson’s suggestions.

Local people want a solution.

Mehdi Dimpre: "It's serious, it makes me angry. It's not normal that things happen like that. And it's not normal that at the political level this is where we are today. It's not normal – makes me angry!" Weniger anzeigen