The tragedy took place during a “busy” morning for emergency services in the town, located 20 miles south of Calais, with the mild weather conditions reportedly making crossing attempts favourable.
The deaths came shortly after the government’s controversial Rwanda bill was passed, with the legislation set to see asylum seekers flown to the African country to have their claims processed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Rwanda scheme will “deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings” and break the business model of the criminal gangs organising the boats.
Charter planes are expected to leave for Rwanda in 10-12 weeks, with Mr Sunak promising “multiple flights a month”, although minsters conceded numbers being sent to Kigali will be small at first.
On the BBC, Illegal Migration Minister Mr Tomlinson took part in an uncomfortable interview by Ms Husain, as he refused her request to give details of the flights claiming it would help those trying to wreck the plans.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.”
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