Humanitarian

France identifies almost all migrants who drowned in English Channel

Sixteen of the migrants were residents of the Kurdistan Region. The rest were Syrian, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Somalian, Afghan, and Iranian.

Halgurd Sherwani 2021/12/15 15:07

Migrants using the English Channel to try and reach the UK from France (Ben Stansall/AFP)

Europe Migrants English Channel UK France Krg Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – French authorities announced that they had identified most of the migrants who drowned after their inflatable boat sank in the English Channel as they were trying to enter the UK illegally, AFP reported on Wednesday.

Out of those 27 migrants, most of whom were Kurds from Iraq, 26 bodies have been identified, according to a statement from the Paris prosecutor.

Seventeen of the victims were men aged between 19-26. Another seven were women aged between 22 and 46. The remaining two victims were a seven-year-old child and a teenager.

Sixteen of the migrants were residents of the Kurdistan Region. The rest were Syrian, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Somalian, Afghan, and Iranian.

In late November, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced that his government is working to identify the drowned migrants, noting that "some of the victims appear to be Kurds."

The tragic accident sparked tensions between the UK and France. French President Emmanuel Macron said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "not serious" about thwarting the illegal crossings between France and the UK.

In a phone call with Prime Minister Barzani in late November, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian extended France's appreciation to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for its efforts against the human smuggling networks exploiting migrants trying to reach Europe.