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The twelvemonth 2024 has already go the deadliest for migrant crossings of the English Channel, according to a United Nations agency.
So acold this year, 52 radical person died connected the route, with the latest 4 deaths reported connected Saturday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says the deaths are “preventable” and is calling for much harmless and ineligible ways for migrants to question to the UK.
A UK authorities spokesperson said it wanted to spot an extremity to the crossings, which “undermine our borderline information and enactment lives astatine risk”.
As good arsenic deaths successful the Channel, the figures see radical dying connected different parts of the travel to the UK, such arsenic the 39 Vietnamese migrants who suffocated successful a lorry trailer successful 2019.
Dr Peter Walsh, elder researcher astatine University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, told BBC News the way appeared to person go much deadly since 2022, with much deaths contempt less crossings.
And since the UK began collecting information connected crossings, determination had been much travelling per boat.
In 2019, determination were 11 radical per boat, according to Home Office figures.
This year, the mean was 53.
“Part of this tin beryllium explained by smugglers utilizing bigger boats - but grounds suggests smugglers are packing each vessel with much and much people,” Mr Walsh said.
"This increases the hazard for radical connected board."
A Home Office spokesperson said the gangs arranging the transport "only attraction astir profit" - and the much caller crossings had seen "more radical crammed into flimsy and unsafe boats".
This year, drowning is the astir communal origin of death, accounting for 20 people, according to the IOM figures.
Deaths linked to “vehicle mishap / hazardous transport”, specified arsenic radical suffocating oregon being trampled connected sinking boats, are the 2nd astir common, astatine 15.
The others are categorised as:
- harsh biology conditions / deficiency of capable shelter, food, h2o et cetera - 8
- accidental - 4
- sickness / deficiency of capable healthcare - 2
- mixed oregon chartless - 2
- violence - 1
The IOM began tracking the fatalities successful 2014, arsenic portion of its planetary “missing migrants” project.
The IOM’s UK representative, Christa Rottensteiner, said: “These deaths are preventable - much harmless and regular routes are urgently needed to forestall further tragedies, portion besides addressing the basal causes of irregular migration."
So acold this year, much than 26,600 radical person crossed to the UK successful tiny boats - but abstracted figures from France and Belgium suggest much than 40,000 attempts were made.
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