Five individuals, including a seven-year-old girl, tragically died while attempting to cross the English Channel, just hours after the British parliament passed a controversial law allowing the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda. The overcrowded boat, carrying 110 people, left Wimereux in France and encountered trouble shortly after departure. While 47 people were brought back to land and four were admitted to the hospital, another 57 chose to continue their journey to the U.K.
The incident has reignited criticism of the U.K.’s new deportation law, with human rights groups such as the UN refugee agency and the Council of Europe condemning the legislation. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stated that the new law is a departure from the U.K.’s tradition of providing refuge to those in need, while the Council of Europe’s human rights body chief, Michael O’Flaherty, expressed concerns about the law’s implications for the ability of U.K. courts to scrutinize asylum claims.