The Albany Gazette - Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing

In the French Channel port of Calais, around 150 people gathered Sunday evening to commemorate the two-year-old toddler, the woman and two men who died over the weekend.

Set out on the ground before them was a long sheet listing the names and nationalities of the dead, held down by bricks and candles.

Such ceremonies have been held there regularly to mark the deaths of migrants attempting the perilous crossing.

With these latest deaths, say French officials, the toll from the Channel crossings has reached 51 this year.

Another ceremony, organised by migrants' rights groups, will take place at the Channel port of Dunkirk on Monday evening.

A record 973 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats Saturday, the same day the four migrants died, according to figures released by Britain's interior ministry.

More than 26,600 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats in 2024, according to UK Home Office figures.

- Traffickers denounced -

The two-year-old boy and three adults died after overloaded boats got into trouble during the dangerous crossing, which is attempted by several thousand every year.

Saturday's deaths were likely due to the victims being crushed in overloaded dinghies, say French prosecutors and local officials.

Prosecutors said Sunday they had opened investigations into the two separate incidents, but have so far not identified those responsible.

"This new drama shows the need to fight relentlessly against the networks of traffickers who exploit human distress," French Prime Minister Michel Barnier posted on X Saturday.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Saturday that it was "appalling that more lives have been lost in the Channel.

"Criminal smuggler gangs continue to organise these dangerous boat crossings," she wrote on X.

"The gangs do not care if people live or die -- this is a terrible trade in lives."

In Britain, Keir Starmer's new Labour government has repeatedly pledged to "smash the gangs" of people smugglers who organise the perilous journeys.

In France, Barnier last week laid out plans for a stricter immigration policy, arguing that the country needed to better control its borders.

(T.Martin--TAG)