Woman who died crossing English Channel wanted to feel safe, mother says

The mother of a 21-year-old woman who died after being crushed in an overcrowded boat trying to cross the English Channel, has said the family will have to attempt the journey again as they have “no options” but to seek asylum in the UK.

Dina Al Shammari was travelling with her three younger siblings, aged 13 to 19, and parents, when she died off the coast of Calais on July 28.

The family, who are Kuwaiti Bidoon, a stateless Arab minority, fled the Gulf state in 2018.

Her mother, Amira Al Shammari, 52, said the family of six arrived in France on July 1, 2024 and had attempted the crossing five times before the night her eldest daughter died.

Speaking to the PA news agency, she said the family believed there would be 60 people on the boat, but on the day of the crossing they discovered the numbers were “double”.

“The boat was so crowded. Dina was the first one, she ran to the boat because she wanted to go to the UK as soon as possible,” she said through an interpreter.

“Then they followed her and, just like squeezing her from all over the place.

“When squeezing her she wasn’t able to breathe, and she started shouting.”

Her father, Ratham Al Shammari, 75, who uses a wheelchair, did not make it on to the boat, according to Ms Al Shammari, when the people carrying him left him at the shore as they tried to get to the boat themselves when they saw it starting to leave.

The mother-of-four described how the boat was at sea for about an hour before the French coastguard reached them.

She said some on the boat wanted to save her daughter, while some people threatened the family and the driver with a knife to keep going rather than call for help.

“When we noticed the French coastguard in the sea, we were trying to say ‘save us, save us’ because my daughter is choking,” Ms Al Shammari said.

“The people inside the boat, they threatened us ‘don’t stop the boat’ and they had a knife.”

Of the driver, she added: “He wanted to stop because he said this girl will die, and they threatened the driver with a knife and (said) don’t stop and continue your journey.”

Ms Al Shammari said the French coastguard tried to save them and picked up 20 people who were “over” Dina, adding: “When they reached Dina she wasn’t breathing.”

According to the French maritime prefecture, 34 people were rescued from the “heavily loaded” boat at about 5.30am, while others on the boat refused help and continued the journey to the UK.

Ms Al Shammari was taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer hospital where she was declared dead.

Her mother described her as someone who liked cooking, travelling, nature and “everything beautiful in this life”.

She wanted to study to become a dentist when she reached the UK, learn more English and above all “feel safe”.

Human rights organisation Minority Rights Group says that Kuwait currently categorises Bidoon people as illegal residents, and because of their stateless status they face difficulties getting civil documents, finding employment, accessing health, education and social services, and many live in relative poverty because of it.

“We always feel scared there, and Dina especially she (was) afraid of the police,” Ms Al Shammari said.

“We (weren’t) able to stand the situation there, so we decided to go to the UK.”

When the family left Kuwait, they originally planned to seek refuge in the UK as they understood the country accepts Kuwaiti Bidoon people.

They took a flight to Turkey before continuing their journey to Greece and arrived in Germany in 2021, where they were processed.

But they were refused asylum there, prompting them to try to get to the UK.

“If the German authority gave us the protections at the beginning, we wouldn’t have had to use a boat and cross the Channel to reach the UK,” Ms Al Shammari said.

“I want to tell people I’m struggling, I’m really struggling to find my kids a better future and good career,” she said.

“This world is unfair, not all the persons, not all the world, (but) the people that we met during that journey.”

An investigation into Ms Al Shammari’s death is continuing in France, while in the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested and bailed a 29-year-old Egyptian man on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration, in connection with the crossing.

Ms Al Shammari’s family are waiting for her body to be released by the authorities, and collective Groupe Deces in France are trying to raise 5,000 euros (£4,280) to help pay for her burial.

Asked if the family will still try to get to the UK, Ms Al Shammari replied from Calais: “We have no options here, where should we go?

“Who’s going to give us the protection? We have to do that again.”

This year so far 17 people have died in the English Channel, according to confirmed reports by the French coastguard from rescue operations.