Two people die attempting to cross Channel in small boats
One person has died trying to cross the Channel in an overloaded boat, after another person died earlier attempting the same journey, according to the French authorities.
In the latest incident, 15 people were rescued after a boat containing 40 people picked up more migrants on the coast of Gravelines, in northern France, at around 3am on Thursday.
Three people were rescued from the water and 12 others on board the dinghy asked for assistance, the French coastguard said. One of the people rescued was unconscious and was declared dead after resuscitation attempts failed.
It followed a rescue operation after reports that a group of people had tried to board a dinghy in the Equihen-Plage area, in northern France, shortly after 9am on Wednesday.
Two people were rescued from the water, with one suffering from hypothermia while the other was in cardiac arrest.
The French NGO Utopia 56 posted on social media about that incident saying: 'This morning a young man set sail in a makeshift boat hoping to reach the UK and claim asylum like hundreds of others. He did not survive. A new victim of this border and the deadly policies implemented.' Of the latest death the organisation said on X: 'In two days to people died.'
The two deaths occurred after an eight-day gap in crossings between 11 and 18 March.
According to government data, on Wednesday 289 people crossed in five boats – an average of 57 people per boat.
The International Organisation for Migration recorded eight migrants dead or missing in the Channel between 1 January and 8 March this year. The latest deaths bring the toll so far this year to at least 10.
A UK government spokesperson said: 'We are aware of reports of an incident in the Channel in French territorial waters. French authorities are leading the response and investigation. We will not be commenting further at this stage.'
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But it is known that campaigners once cracks started to appear, had called on the company to bring forward the closure date of Torness from 2028. Energy consultant Pete Roche, who has been policy adviser to the Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities echoed the call for Torness to close. Pete Roche (Image: NQ) He said of the latest crack numbers: "Goodness. It needs to shut. Absolutely." He said of the expanding of the cracks tolerance level that it was changing the goalposts: "It seems to me they are stretching what is feasible with these reactors, and if they go too far we could be in trouble." The history of the now shut Hunterston B nuclear station has run in parallel to discussions over the future of Torness. In 2012, EDF extended Hunterston's original 25-year lifespan by more than 20 years. But its final closure was brought forward following issues with cracks in the graphite bricks which make up the reactor cores. The concern was that too many cracks, combined with a rare seismic event, could affect the structural integrity of the core and prevent it being shut down in an emergency. Cracks at Hunterston were first spotted in two graphite bricks in the reactor in 2014. Cracking issues led to its B1 reactor to be shut on March, 2018 and was back in action on August, 2020. B2 was taken offline in October, 2018 and restarted in September 2020 after being online temporarily between August 24, 2019 and December 10, 2019. Hunterston BBut the ONR accepted that the operational allowance should be increased from 350 to 700 cracks in each reactor. Their life was short-lived, however. B2 was permanently shut down on January 7, 2022, after generating electricity for 46 years. B1 was closed in November, 2021. When 359 cracks were found in B1 in the autumn of 2018, EDF insisted it was safe to operate - even though it had been shut down - and that it was planned that both reactors would be back online in the coming months. They said then that the cracking only posed a "potential challenge to the entry of the control rod in an extreme and highly unlikely earthquake scenario" and said they had back-up systems to be able to shut down the unit. The 480-strong workforce at Hunterston was to be cut by a quarter during eventual decommissioning and defueling but the company said those 125 employees would either retire or be redeployed to other sites. Back in 1989, around when Torness began generating its first power, UK Government Scottish Office sources had admitted that the station constructed at a cost of £2.5bn was a mistake and should never have been built. Friends of the Earth Scotland head of campaigns Caroline Rance said: "The enormous costs of nuclear power are due in part because so much time and money has to be spent trying to reduce the immense danger it poses. But the only real guarantee is that we'll end up with literal toxic waste that must be guarded for thousands of years. "Scotland's nuclear power plants have a chequered safety history with serious safety lapses reported and investigations revealing hundreds of cracks in the reactor cores. Caroline Rance "Nuclear projects are always billions over budget and desperately late. Politicians are willing to write blank cheques for the nuclear industry while people are crying out for support to insulate their homes and public transport needs upgrading. "Climate breakdown demands an urgent move to reliable, affordable renewable energy and a real transition that supports oil workers into industries that don't harm the planet.' The ONR said that the safety case from three years ago should not be relied upon and that in recent years, EDF had provided further justification for the safe operation of Torness with the central core containing an increased distribution of cracked bricks. It said that experiments, computer analysis and modelling demonstrated by the EDF to the regulator has shown that the reactor core "could be safely operated and shutdown with much more widespread graphite cracking than currently seen, even in the event of a one-in-ten-thousand-year earthquake". An ONR spokesman said: "A valid safety case is required at nuclear facilities for safe and continued operations, together with investment in plant to sustain equipment reliability, all while ensuring that the necessary people and skills are on site. "Graphite cracking is a well-known phenomenon, and the licensee has demonstrated through their safety case that they have suitable understanding of the graphite behaviour to justify safe operation of the core. "The number of cracked fuel bricks remain within the acceptable parameters of the safety case and we are satisfied that risks associated with any core cracking mechanism have been demonstrated to be at levels which are tolerable and as low as is reasonably practicable. "The ongoing safety of operations at any nuclear site must be fully demonstrated to us as part of our ongoing regulation which is informed though our extensive inspection and assessment regime. "As the independent nuclear regulator, we will not allow any plant to operate unless we are satisfied that it is safe to do so.". An EDF spokesman added: "We are operating well inside the safety case agreed with the ONR for Torness. This includes a demonstration that the reactor cores can be operated safely with 100% of the graphite bricks in the central part of the core cracked, including shutdown in the event of a major earthquake, larger than ever recorded in the UK. 'Last year's lifetime review was rigorous and took into account recent graphite inspection results which supported the view that the station's generating life could be extended. The most recent inspection results from earlier this year were in line with our expectations meaning March 2030 is still the most likely view for Torness. As ever, our end of generation dates are a forecast based on information available at the time and are kept under review.'
