France slammed after allowing flimsy dinghy with 112 on board to cross Channel as five die

By Liam Doyle, News Reporter

The French navy escorted many of the remaining migrants to the UK (Image: PA)

France has been slammed for allowing a flimsy dinghy crammed with hundreds of people to cross the English Channel.

French investigators confirmed this week that five people were crushed to death on a raft of 112 people as they attempted the trip to England.

Local police reportedly permitted the dinghy to embark from the Plage des Allemands beach at Wimereux, near Boulogne, on Tuesday at 6am, but its power cut just a few hundred yards from shore.

A young girl, seven, a woman, and three men died in the ensuing panic, forcing the French Navy to step in.

Anger has flared at officials who allowed the raft to traverse the Channel in the first place, with questions arising about the "avoidable tragedy".

In the wake of the upsetting incident, French naval officials intervened and removed 48 migrants from the vessel, taking them ashore, and then escorted the remaining 58 - who stayed on the boat after restarting the engine - to British shores.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Tim Loughton, a former minister and member of the Government's home affairs committee, condemned what he said was "incredibly irresponsible" behaviour from French authorities.

He said: "This is incredibly irresponsible behaviour by the French authorities on so many levels after another avoidable tragedy."

Mr Loughton also asked why the boat was not impounded and why the migrants were allowed to continue their trip to Britain.

He said: "Why was the whole boat and passengers not impounded as a potential crime scene with dead bodies on board?”

French officials typically will not step in or turn back migrants at sea unless they request assistance, as it could risk their lives to intervene.

Jacques Billant, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, said the migrants who chose to remain on the boat had "managed to restart the engine and decided to continue their sea route towards Great Britain under the surveillance of the French Navy".