 Campaigners have branded the deaths of six people an 'appalling and preventable tragedy' following the sinking of a boat carrying migrants in the Channel. The Refugee Council urged the government to respond with 'compassion' to the incident while Freedom from Torture accused ministers of 'hostile' attitudes towards refugee protection. Opposition MPs said the tragedy highlighted the need for action to prevent dangerous crossings being made. Steve Smith, Chief Executive at Care4Calais, added: 'This morning's accident in the English Channel, in which six refugees are reported to have died, was an appalling and preventable tragedy. 'Those who died were not just statistics, but individual people: someone's children, someone's siblings, and possibly someone's parents. We send our deepest sympathies to their friends and families.' He went on: 'This terrible loss of life demonstrates yet again the need for a system of safe passage to the UK for refugees. 'This would enable them to apply for asylum while in France, and then to travel safely to the UK without risking their lives in small boats. 'It would put the people smugglers out of business overnight.' Braverman has also recently come under fire for a government initiative to house vulnerable migrants aboard the Bibby Stockholm, an oil rig accommodation vessel (Picture: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock) Kolbassia Hanoussou, from Freedom From Torture, also said: 'The tragic news of yet more deaths in the Channel, including serious injuries to many others, demonstrates the continued failure of the UK government's hostile approach to refugee protection.' Local authorities in France have confirmed that the first victim of this morning's sinking was an Afghan man aged between 25 and 30 years old. A volunteer also told Reuters they had seen migrants using shoes to bale water out of the vessel.){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Campaigners have branded the deaths of six people an ‘appalling and preventable tragedy’ following the sinking of a boat carrying migrants in the Channel.
The Refugee Council urged the government to respond with ‘compassion’ to the incident while Freedom from Torture accused ministers of ‘hostile’ attitudes towards refugee protection.
Opposition MPs said the tragedy highlighted the need for action to prevent dangerous crossings being made.
Steve Smith, Chief Executive at Care4Calais, added: ‘This morning’s accident in the English Channel, in which six refugees are reported to have died, was an appalling and preventable tragedy.