China News Agency, Paris, November 24 (Reporter Li Yang) A refugee ship sailing from France to the UK capsized in the English Channel on the 24th local time, and 31 people have been killed.
The French Ministry of the Interior said in a statement that evening that after fishermen in the northern French port city of Calais sounded the alarm that day, the French coastal patrol boat subsequently found the remains of several victims and many unconscious people in the sea area where the incident occurred.
French officials confirmed that the number of victims is now 31.
French Prime Minister Castel expressed his concern to "the many victims, missing and injured" through social media and described the incident as "a tragedy."
He also criticized the lawbreakers who organized the smuggling of refugees.
The search and rescue work at the scene of the incident is still in progress. Calais has dispatched 3 helicopters and 3 ships to participate in the rescue operation.
French Interior Minister Dalmanin has gone to the scene of the incident to check the situation.
The destination of this refugee ship is England.
According to news from the British Prime Minister's Office, British Prime Minister Johnson will hold a crisis meeting on the matter later in the day.
Official French data show that since the beginning of this year, 31,500 people have tried to travel to the UK, and 7,800 people have been rescued in distress on the way to the UK.
French police said this week that they have detained 15 suspects in a refugee smuggling gang that helped refugees cross the English Channel illegally to the UK.
Official British data show that more than 25,000 people have entered the UK illegally this year, three times the relevant figure last year.
The British government is facing great pressure on related issues, and the British government and opposition urged that measures be taken to reduce the number of refugees entering the UK illegally.
An analysis by Agence France-Presse stated that the refugee issue will exacerbate tensions between France and the United Kingdom after Brexit. At the same time, the dispute between France and Britain on fisheries issues is still unresolved.
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