British authorities this week evacuated migrants detained after bacteria were found in their water and transferred them to a floating detention center in Dorset.
Euronews quoted an Interior Ministry spokesman as saying: “Environmental samples from the barge’s water system have shown levels of Legionella and require further investigation.”
The spokesman added that the migrants had been evacuated, they were tested and no infections were found.
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Exposure to Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a life-threatening form of pneumonia. It is contracted by inhalation of aerosols or water droplets contaminated with high concentrations of bacteria.
Authorities’ decision to transfer undocumented migrants to the 500-capacity barge has been heavily criticized by the Labor opposition and NGOs as inhumane and deliberate restrictions.
Amid criticism, the government ordered tests of the water supply on July 25, with results released last Monday showing the presence of Legionella.
More than 100,000 people have crossed the English Channel illegally in small boats since 2018, according to official figures released today by London.
A record 755 migrants were spotted crossing the UK coast yesterday, bringing the total to 100,715, according to the Home Office.
The counting of speedboat crossings across the English Channel, mainly from France, began in 2018 when the closure of the Port of Calais and the Eurotunnel terminal made it difficult or impossible for migrants to cross the English Channel by truck, encouraging people smugglers to opt for the sea route.
Shipwrecks of these small boats are a frequent occurrence in the English Channel, with dozens of migrants congregating on them after paying exorbitant fees.
In November 2021, 27 people died as a result. In December, at least four more people died.
Seventeen migrants were rescued yesterday after falling overboard, the Home Office said, according to Agence France-Presse.
In 2022, a record number of migrants will successfully arrive in the UK reaching 45,000. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 15,826.
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to “stop the boat”.
Based on information provided by Telam