An overstretched team in the British coast guard working up to 20 hours a day made a mistake during the search and rescue response to the mass drowning tragedy on the Channel a year ago, a source has told The Independent.
At least 27 lives were lost on 24 November 2021 and five bodies are still missing.
The British and French coastguards took 12 hours to respond to the first mayday call, with authorities debating who was responsible. By the time rescue boats and aircraft arrived on the scene, all but two on board had drowned and died from exposure.
Speaking for the first time about conditions leading up to the events a year ago, a source from HM Coastguard said staff were working extremely long hours, often without breaks and stretched to capacity.
"No one comes to work with the intention of letting people die, but under very challenging circumstances, mistakes do happen," the source said.
“Yes, 27 people died, but more than 27,000 people have succeeded. I would take the survival success rate as 0.1 percent. We can never save everyone – no emergency services in the world can say that.
“We sometimes work 20 hours a day – long hours without rest. Everyone is tired and frustrated. You can see people are divided and yelling at each other.
"You have to make quick decisions and yes, of course, mistakes do happen, when you work under pressure like that."
The revelations come as a campaigner for the charity warned that it was only a matter of time before there were similar deaths on the Channel unless the government established safe routes.
Call records released to lawyers by French authorities as part of an ongoing investigation found that the first distress call to the French coast guard was recorded shortly before 2.15am. The ship capsized around 03.15.
Shortly thereafter, at 3.30am, a passenger reported that several of the party were in the water. The French authorities replied: "Yes, but you are in British waters, sir."
Those on board made more than 20 distress calls between 3:40 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. at sunrise. At around 2:00 p.m., rescue services arrived on the scene and all but two of the group had either drowned or died from exposure.
Throughout the night, the British coast guard, responsible for making distress calls and coordinating search and rescue missions in the Channel, continued to deny that the dinghy was in British waters, repeatedly telling passengers to call the French coast guard. Records from France show that the ship entered British waters at 2.30am.
On the evening of November 24, 2021, The Independent learned 10 coast guard members were in the control room in Dover handling calls.
A maritime tactical commander is in charge, with a search mission coordinator outlining the location of the skiff, tides, and weather conditions.
At around 02:45, email exchanges between French and British authorities indicated that the British coast guard had apparently attempted to call one of the passengers but received a French dial tone. They are said to have concluded that the ship was not their responsibility, as it was likely still in French waters.
Steven Martin of Channel Rescue, a charity that monitors maritime activity, was following the incident as it unfolded, receiving screenshots of people in the sinking boat, with many sharing their live location on WhatsApp to show they were in British waters.
Mr Martin is now involved in the ongoing maritime accident investigation, and has presented extensive evidence to lawyers to show that the French and British coastguards were aware of the mayday calls, but that there was a 12 hour time lag between the first distress call and the rescue. the ship arrived at the scene.
"It's very sad to see what's going on, and to see that no one is responding," he said. “We said 'What's going on here? How are we notified that there are people in the water but no operations have been launched?’
“They [French and British coastguards] shouldn't be arguing about who to respond, when it's clear someone has drowned. It still – a year later – makes me angry.”
"There will be another mass casualty event on the Channel, without a doubt," added Martin. “Tragedies like this are a question of 'when' not 'if'. Incidents will continue to occur unless this government acts to create a safe passage. We need a major change in the way it is handled.”Steven Martin of Channel Rescue, a charity that monitors maritime activity, followed the incident as it unfolded, receiving screenshots of people in the sinking boat, with many sharing their live locations on WhatsApp to indicate they were in British waters.
Mr Martin is now involved in the ongoing maritime accident investigation, and has presented extensive evidence to lawyers to show that the French and British coastguards were aware of the mayday calls, but that there was a 12 hour time lag between the first distress call and the rescue. the ship arrived at the scene.
"It's very sad to see what's going on, and to see that no one is responding," he said. “We said 'What's going on here? How are we notified that there are people in the water but no operations have been launched?’
“They [French and British coastguards] shouldn't be arguing about who to respond, when it's clear someone has drowned. It still – a year later – makes me angry.”
"There will be another mass casualty event on the Channel, without a doubt," added Martin. “Tragedies like this are a question of 'when' not 'if'. Incidents will continue to occur unless this government acts to create a safe passage. We need a big change in the way it is handled.”
Mr Martin said the fault lay with the government, which had not done enough to address the systemic problem of managing the increasing number of small boat arrivals.
“Channels are now more militarized than they were at this time last year. There are now warships patrolling the Channel, which are not functioning as search and rescue vessels – they cannot pick up people if they are in the water.
“And the navy was there, but they never wanted to get involved – they were worried because the mission had no clear goals, objectives or end date, so they didn't know what they were doing. This is convenient for the government – they can say they have brought in a navy so they act, but they don't actually do anything. There is still a long way to go to address the underlying issues.”
A spokesperson from the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency said: “Our thoughts are with the families of everyone who lost their lives in the tragic incident last November.
“The fundamental role of HM Coastguard is to save lives at sea by responding to anyone in distress.
“As is standard practice in such circumstances, the Maritime Accidents Investigation Branch is conducting a safety-focused investigation into the incident in full cooperation with HM Coastguard and the Home Office. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the investigation is ongoing."
An Home Office spokesperson added: “We cannot repeat this devastating event which is why we are working with our international partners to disrupt the people-smuggling gangs behind these dangerous crossings that put lives at risk with every journey they arrange.
“Border Force officers and contractors work alongside the Coast Guard and RNLI and we are proud of the work they do to save lives at sea every day.” This article was written by EDUKASI CAMPUS.