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The United Nations agency reports that 2024 has been the deadliest year for migrants crossing the English Channel, with 52 deaths recorded thus far. The latest four fatalities were reported on Saturday. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) deems these deaths avoidable and calls for more safe and legal ways for migrants to reach the UK. On the contrary, a spokesperson for the UK government wants an end to these crossings as they pose a threat to border security and human life.
According to IOM data, in addition to fatalities in the Channel, deaths on other legs of the journey to the UK, such as the 39 Vietnamese migrants who died in a lorry trailer in 2019, are included in the figures. Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, told BBC News that since 2022, the route appears to have become deadlier, with more deaths reported despite fewer crossings. Moreover, since the UK began documenting crossings, there has been a higher number of people per boat.
In 2019, Home Office figures showed that 11 people were traveling per boat, whereas this year, the average was 53. Mr Walsh indicates that smugglers might be using larger boats, but they are also reportedly stuffing each one with more people, increasing the risk to everyone on board.
The Home Office notes that gangs who arrange transportation care about profit, and that, indeed, more individuals have been crammed into fragile and dangerous boats in recent crossings. The IOM reports that drowning is the most frequent cause of death this year, accounting for 32 fatalities. The second most prevalent cause is deaths related to “harsh environmental conditions, lack of adequate shelter, food, water, etc.,” which denotes deaths due to hypothermia, dehydration, or exposure, at eight. The other categories include accidental death, vehicle accident or hazardous transport, sickness or lack of adequate healthcare, mixed or unknown, and violence.
Since 2014, the IOM has been keeping track of fatalities as part of its worldwide “missing migrants” initiative. Christa Rottensteiner, the IOM’s representative in the UK, claims that these deaths are avoidable and more safe and regular routes are essential to prevent further tragedies while also addressing the underlying factors of irregular migration. Despite the fact that over 26,600 people have crossed to the UK in small boats thus far this year, separate figures from France and Belgium suggest that more than 40,000 attempts were made
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