Less then 12 hours after Rishi Sunak set out his five-point plan to tackle illegal immigration, around 50 people waded into the water off the Calais coast, clambered into an inflatable dinghy and set off for England.
It was around 11pm on Tuesday night, and light snow was falling in the area as temperatures dropped to -2C.
By the early hours of Wednesday, the boat was off course, waterlogged, children were screaming and one passenger phoned a French refugee charity begging for help.
“We’re in a boat and we have a problem,” he said in the harrowing call.
“Please help.
“We have children and families in a boat.
“Water is coming in.”
Four people, including a teenager, died.
But this number could double, with officials suggesting the number of dead may rise to seven or eight.
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