In response to reports that at least 12 people died earlier today trying to cross the Channel, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who’ve died in this terrible tragedy.

“Since 2018 almost 200 people have now lost their lives trying to cross the Channel, yet the UK and French Governments still fail to do what’s so desperately needed: establish safe asylum routes to avoid more loss of life.

“No amount of ‘smash the gangs’ policing and Government rhetoric is going to stop these disasters from unfolding time and again if the needs of people exploited by those gangs remain unaddressed.

“Until UK ministers and their counterparts in France start sharing responsibility for the humans that take that perilous Channel crossing – and that includes creating safe asylum routes to the UK - Government policy will continue to be a cause for more lives being lost.”