Are rich countries to blame? "Please help. We are in the water." A call for help from a sinking boat lead to a dramatic rescue in the middle of the night.
Horror as migrants drown in the dead of night
Are rich countries to blame? "Please help. We are in the water." A call for help from a sinking boat lead to a dramatic rescue in the middle of the night.
What's happening?
The first calls for help came just after 3 o'clock yesterday morning. An inflatable boat was sinking. It was full of people trying to cross the English ChannelThe stretch of water separating France and England is only 21 miles at its narrowest point, making it a popular way to enter the UK.. At least 31 were rescued, but four people died.
The crossing was not a one-off. This year, more than 40,000 people have paid people smugglersSomeone who arranges for people to be illegally transported between countries. to cross the English Channel from France to Britain.
They are some of the 281 million people worldwide who are on the move. Some move because of war or violence. Others leave due to climate changeLong-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change. or for a better life in a richer country.
Britain's leader wants to remove more people who come illegally from Britain.
Find out more
Some accuse rich countries of blaming migrantsPeople who are living in a different country to the one they were born in.. If they want to stop deaths, they say, rich countries should make it easier to travel legally and make the world safer.
Are rich countries to blame?
Yes! People will do dangerous things to escape bad situations. If rich countries want to slow the move of people, they should work to make the world safer.
No! It is the people smugglers who make people pay huge amounts of money to travel in unsafe boats who are to blame.
Keywords
English Channel - The stretch of water separating France and England is only 21 miles at its narrowest point, making it a popular way to enter the UK.
People smugglers - Someone who arranges for people to be illegally transported between countries.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Migrants - People who are living in a different country to the one they were born in.
Horror as migrants drown in the dead of night
Glossary
English Channel - The stretch of water separating France and England is only 21 miles at its narrowest point, making it a popular way to enter the UK.
People smugglers - Someone who arranges for people to be illegally transported between countries.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Migrants - People who are living in a different country to the one they were born in.