A migrant who survived one of the deadliest Channel crossings in history has described his horrifying experiences to an inquiry. Issa Mohamed Omar, 31, said he was aboard a vessel that started “dying” in the water after it capsized between France and Britain on November 24, 2021.
Mr Mohamed Omar told the inquiry how the vessel left the French coastline at around 10pm before being “swamped” approximately three hours into the journey. The Somali-born man said: “People started dying. People were screaming. It is very painful when someone is dying inside the water. The way they die – they cannot breathe…it is very difficult. I never thought I would experience such a thing.”
He added: “It is a harrowing experience I do not want to remember. I was holding onto what remained of the boat and people were screaming. It is something I will not forget.
“I believe that if rescue had come quickly, half of those people would still be alive today. We have been seen as refugees. That is the reason I think the rescue did not come. I feel like we were treated like animals. I suffered a lot of pain.
“I woke up in hospital and I had a lot of injuries.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Mohamed Omar told those present how only around 10 people remained alive by the following morning.
He said he was told by the smugglers that 33 people would be aboard the dinghy, but prior to leaving, more people were added, including children.
Mr Mohamed Omar described the screams of children and the desperate attempts of those fighting for their lives to attract boats by using the light on their phones.
He added: “People were in a desperate situation, they were trying to make phone calls, because my SIM was from Italy, I had no internet connection. Everyone thought they would not survive.”
Mr Mohamed Omar, who still suffers flashbacks, was eventually rescued by a French fishing boat and woke up in hospital with multiple injuries including damaged memory and eyesight, the inquiry heard. Having fled civil war in his homeland, Mr Mohamed Omar said he resettled in Yemen before further conflict drove him to attempt to reach British shores.
He told the inquiry that he hoped that after reaching Britain, he would be able to seek asylum in order to “establish my life and help my family.
The Cranston Inquiry began this week, with the aim of investigating the UK’s worst small boat disaster. On Monday, the inquiry’s counsel, Rory Phillips KC, detailed multiple distress calls made from the boat to authorities, but the incident was mistakenly marked as resolved and “no-one came to their rescue”.
The inquiry heard that 26 people were identified among those who died. Four other people were missing, and the body of another person was found, but their identity had not been confirmed.
The inquiry had heard that 26 people were identified among the dead, with four people missing and another person whose body was found, but whose identity has not been confirmed.
It is not known for certain how many people were on board the boat that night, but the French authorities said to believe there were 33 people, including 13 women and eight children.
The inquiry continues.
