The father of a seven-year-old girl who tragically lost her life aboard a crowded migrant boat while attempting to cross the Channel has recounted the heart-wrenching moment when he realized he couldn’t save his daughter.
Ahmed Alhashimi, 41, found himself trapped on an overloaded dinghy, struggling for air and pleading with others to move as the craft capsized near Calais on Tuesday morning. He tearfully recounted how he fought to keep hold of his daughter Sara’s hand amid the chaos but lost her to the stampede, unable to prevent her from being trampled to death.
Ahmed, who spent 14 years in Europe after fleeing Iraq, shared that he and his family faced repeated asylum rejections, leaving them with no choice but to attempt the dangerous Channel crossing.
The overloaded dinghy, carrying 112 people, including young Sara, capsized just off the coast of Wimereux, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, as ruthless traffickers charged migrants exorbitant fees to board.
Despite attempts by French police to intervene, they were met with resistance, and the situation quickly turned disastrous. Sara was crushed beneath the weight of other passengers as the dinghy capsized, her tiny body unable to withstand the pressure. Tragically, she didn’t survive the ordeal, leaving behind her grieving family.
Ahmed, along with his wife Nour Al Saeed and their two other children, Rahaf and Hussam, returned to the French shoreline, where authorities provided shelter as they awaited Sara’s burial.
While the family had previously attempted the crossing three times, they had been stopped by police on two occasions. The heartbreaking incident has sparked a criminal investigation, revealing the dire conditions of the unseaworthy and overcrowded boat.
Craig Turner, deputy director of investigations for the National Crime Agency said: ‘This tragic incident once again demonstrates the threat to life posed by these crossings and brings into focus why it is so important to target the criminal gangs involved in organising them.
‘We will do all we can with partners in the UK and France to secure evidence, identify those responsible for this event, and bring them to justice.’
