Suella Braverman personally thanks heroic fisherman who rescued sinking Channel migrants

Home Secretary praises trawler skipper Raymond Strachan for saving 301 lives from the freezing sea in a tragedy that left four dead

Raymond Strachan has been praised for helping to save the lives of 31 migrants in a Channel crossing tragedy
Raymond Strachan has been praised for helping to save the lives of 31 migrants in a Channel crossing tragedy

Suella Braverman has personally thanked the heroic fisherman and his crew who rescued more than 30 migrants from the freezing sea in a tragedy that cost the lives of at least four people.

The Home Secretary has written to Raymond Strachan, hailing his “deeply commendable” actions during the “devastating” search and rescue last month, saying it deserves the “highest praise”.

She said she would like to show her gratitude for his work with his team “in such difficult and distressing circumstances”.

Mr Strachan, skipper of the Arcturus trawler, and his crew pulled 31 “screaming” migrants from the icy water after their flimsy dinghy punctured and began to sink in the middle of the Channel just before 3am, in temperatures of -4C (24.8F).

Four died and there were unconfirmed reports of four more missing from the dinghy that was believed to be carrying up to 47 migrants, including at least four children. 

“It was like something out of a Second World War movie,” said Mr Strachan afterwards. 

“There were people in the water everywhere, screaming. I steamed towards the dinghy and we secured it with a rope to the side of the boat. We were trying to pull them off the dinghy."

Mr Strachan had been sleeping when he was awoken by a member of the crew who told him: “There are migrants alongside the boat.”

"One guy was hanging off my wire,” said Mr Strachan. “I thought at first it was just him, and once I got my fishing gear up - which took about three minutes - I stopped my boat and ran outside and along the port side there were five of them hanging off the side of my boat.”

He said he counted 45 people holding onto the collapsed dinghy and surrounding his fishing boat. Images showed survivors of the incident standing in the collapsed dinghy knee-deep in water - sandwiched between the sides of the inflatable.

Some of the group were seen wearing red life jackets, but one man could be seen in a short-sleeved shirt in freezing conditions. 

Police forensic officers after the incident in the Channel, in which four people drowned
Police forensic officers after the incident in the Channel, in which four people drowned Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA

Mr Strachan’s crew spent two hours pulling people from the water. He said those he rescued came from Afghanistan, Iraq, Senegal and India.

A government source said that without Mr Strachan’s intervention, it “could have been far, far worse”.  

It is the first major rescue operation launched in the Channel since November last year, when at least 27 migrants perished after their dinghy sank. 

In her letter to Mr Strachan, Mrs Braverman said she wished to “personally thank” him for his part in the “devastating search and rescue” operation that included at least 10 vessels from the Navy, Border Force, RNLI and French coastguard, as well as helicopters that used their lights to guide rescuers to migrants in the sea.

She noted that not only had they rescued more than 30, but also used their expertise to provide further assistance on the boat by ensuring their hypothermia from the freezing cold water was treated in a way that avoided further suffering.

"We stripped all their wet clothes off, and my crew gave them any clothes they had to keep them warm," said Mr Strachan. "We put them in beds to keep them warm, with quilts, to get their body temperature up slowly."

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