Author: Sam Greenhill Chief Correspondent and James Franey for the Daily Mail

Published: November 24, 2021 at 17:37 EDT | Updated: November 25, 2021 at 03:56 EDT

A French minister said last night that this small boat destined to be filled with dozens of immigrants is nothing more than a children’s paddling pool.

The tragic group that fled the French coastline entrusted their lives to a drifting death trap.

Yesterday at lunchtime, their "very weak" ship was floating on the calm water, which was the first sign of terror. 

Then the French fishermen saw the disgusting sight of lifeless passengers floating nearby. Mayday's phone rang immediately.

A strait with no big waves uncharacteristically attracted more immigrants than usual to try dangerous crossings.

French Interior Minister Gerald Dammanin described the small boat that capsized yesterday as "very fragile." Pictured: Societe Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer ships carrying migrant corpses

The ruthless smugglers also spur trade by warning of severe weather en route, taking advantage of the fact that the border crossing window will be closed in the next few days.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin described the boat as "very fragile" and said it was "like the pool you blow up in the garden." Fatal overload, it ran into trouble during the journey.

Calais is still suffering, and its residents-including at least five women and one girl-are immersed in cold water.

Terror and panic will catch these families. Without special protective clothing, the cold temperature is enough to drown them in a few minutes.

According to a British captain, it was a “desperate” sight for the French fishermen who discovered the tragedy. He overheard the ongoing operation over the radio on the ship. 

Matt Cork of Dover said: "The scene must be desperate. Terrible. Picking out corpses from the water for anyone is the end of the matter, and you don't want to do that.

The fishermen saw the disgusting sight of passengers floating nearby. Mayday's phone rang immediately. Pictured: Firefighter truck arrived in Port of Calais on Wednesday

He said his French counterpart notified their coast guard that they issued an alert "around 1 pm" asking for help in rescuing a ship with about 15 people on board, and there were more people 7 miles from Calais. In the water of the Northeast Passage.

Mr. Cork said: “There were about 15 to 20 large French commercial fishing boats near Calais, but they did not respond. The French rescue operations seem to be very few.

Ships from the Dover HM Coast Guard and Border Forces BF Hurricane responded to the Mayday and arrived in about 45 minutes.

Three helicopters-from Britain, France and Belgium-were sent to help with the search.

The Minister of the Interior said there were 34 people on the boat, but the mayor of Dunkirk, Franck Dhersin, earlier claimed that more than 50 migrants were on board when the boat capsized.

At least one passenger was missing last night, but hopes of finding them alive are almost dashed. 

Two people were rescued from the water. They are still conscious and receiving treatment for hypothermia. The remaining 27 people died before rescuers arrived.

Mr. Cork said that the migrant's boat was probably a "cheap and fragile" boat, but it just gave way. 

He added that the sea is “absolutely flat, with about 30 migrant boats crossing in the best weather for several days. But the traffickers put them in cheap plastic inflatable bags. They are not suitable boats. They overloaded them, They split and deflate, and people end up in the water. They usually don't have life jackets. They don't have a chance. 

He added: “They usually don’t even have a suitable motor. The traffickers charge between £3,000 and £5,000 each and there are 20 people on board, so they really maximize their profits. 

In the darkness last night, a stern group of ships carried the corpses into the port of Calais.

French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured) has a gloomy expression after receiving the news. Politicians and officials expressed shock and anger at the "accidents waiting to happen"

Approximately 20 emergency service vehicles lined up at the Paul-Devot pier, and a special electric hoist was brought to the scene.

Human rights protesters watched silently by the dock. A woman held up a sign written in French: "Calais, how many more people do you need to die?"

French President Emmanuel Macron looked gloomy after receiving the news. Politicians and officials expressed shock and anger at the "accidents waiting to happen". 

French MP Pierre-Henri Dumont declared: "The Strait is now becoming the new Mediterranean-it is like an open sky graveyard."

The head of Port of Calais, Jean-Marc Puiseso, told a British reporter: "Even though the sea does not look so rough, there are always many waves in the middle of the strait. 

'dangerous. We must all work hard to find solutions, because there will be more solutions-they will do everything they can to reach your country.

'That's why I am so frustrated. I do not know what to do. '

He added: "If there are 50 people on the boat and some water enters the boat, they will not be able to get out of the water because the boat is too crowded." 

'Then there is more and more water, and then this happens. The sea is very, very cold-there is almost no chance of survival.

At a press conference by the pier, Mr. Damanin said: "Today, seeing these people die at sea is an appalling situation for France, Europe and mankind."

He accused the Berlin government of failing to prevent smugglers from buying small boats in Germany and bringing them to northern France.

He said that so far, four people have been arrested for this tragedy.

Mr. Darmanin told reporters that “1,500 people have been arrested since the beginning of January, and four people have been arrested today-we suspect that they are directly related to this particular border crossing”.

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