Six asylum seekers have died after a boat carrying dozens of migrants to the U.K. sank in the English Channel. Several people are still missing, while 55 people were rescued in efforts largely led by French coastal authorities. The mayor of the port city of Calais, Natacha Bouchart, slammed British policy, which they say saddles France with handling the mounting crisis at the maritime border.
Mayor Natacha Bouchart: “We are systematically being fooled by the British government. When are we going to bang our fists on the table? When are we going to threaten them with action so that they can put an end to it? Calais is not the border of England. They don’t want to do the dirty work of saying 'I accept' or 'I do not accept refugees in my territory.'”
This comes as two refugees, including a baby, have died after another boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia.