"At least they'll never do the Channel," a British NGO worker once told me, looking for a silver lining. I was wrong. In January alone, the Ministry of Defence reported 27 small boats making the crossing, with 1,180 people on board. One forecast predicts that 65,000 will have attempted the crossing by the end of the year.
We shouldn't let the fact that such crossings have become commonplace fool us into thinking this is not an incredibly dangerous journey. Just two months ago, four people drowned and nearly 40 were rescued from a dinghy that was "wholly unsuitable" for such a crossing. (Anyone who's seen Netflix's recent hit The Swimmers will know the smugglers' boats can run into trouble making even short journeys in the calm waters of the Mediterranean.)
This story is from the February 08, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the February 08, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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