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 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?”
