The mother of a 21-year-old woman who died after being crushed in an overcrowded boat while trying to cross the English Channel said the family will have to try the journey again because they have “no option” but to seek asylum in the UK.
Dina Al Shammari was travelling with her parents and three younger siblings, aged between 13 and 19, when she died off the coast of Calais on July 28.
The Bidoon family from Kuwait, a stateless Arab minority, fled the Gulf country in 2018.
Her mother, Amira Al Shammari (52), said the family of six reached France on July 1, 2024, and tried to cross the border five times until the night her eldest daughter died.
Speaking to the PA news agency, she said the family thought there would be 60 people on the boat but on the day of the crossing they found out there were “twice that number”.
“The boat was very crowded. Dina was the first to arrive, she ran to the boat because she wanted to get to England as soon as possible,” he said through an interpreter.
“Then they followed him and it was like they were squeezing him from everywhere.
“When they squeezed him, he couldn’t breathe and started screaming.”
Ms Al Shammari said her father, Ratham Al Shammari, 75, who uses a wheelchair, was unable to board the boat because the people carrying him left him on the shore while they tried to reach the boat when they saw it start to move.
The mother of four said the boat remained at sea for about an hour before French coastguard teams reached them.
He said that some people on the boat wanted to save his daughter, but some people threatened the family and the boat driver with knives to keep going instead of calling for help.
“When we saw the French coastguard at sea, we were trying to say, ‘Save us, save us’ because my daughter was drowning,” Ms Al Shammari said.
“The people inside the boat were threatening us, saying ‘Don’t stop the boat’ and they had knives in their hands.”
He added about the driver: “He wanted to stop saying this girl was going to die and they threatened the driver with a knife and (told him) don’t stop and continue your journey.”
Ms Al Shammari said the French coastguard tried to rescue them and took 20 people who were “on board” Dina, adding: “When they reached her, she was not breathing.”
According to a statement from the French Naval Forces Command, 34 people were rescued from the “heavily loaded” boat at around 5.30am, while the others on the boat refused offers of help and continued their journey towards the UK.
Ms Al Shammari was taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Her mother describes her as someone who loves cooking, traveling, nature and “all the good things in life.”
When she came to England she wanted to become a dentist, she wanted to learn more English and, above all, she wanted to “feel safe”.
Human rights group Minority Rights Group says Kuwait currently classifies the Bidoon people as illegal residents and that due to their stateless status they face difficulties in obtaining civil documents, finding work, accessing health, education and social services, and many live in relative poverty.
“We were always afraid there and Dina in particular was afraid of the police,” Ms Al Shammari said.
“We couldn’t stand the situation there, so we decided to go to England.”
When the family left Kuwait, they initially planned to seek refuge in the UK as they understood the country was accepting of the Kuwaiti Bidoon people.
After flying to Turkey, the couple continued their journey to Greece and reached Germany in 2021 and completed their transactions there.
However, when their asylum application was rejected there, they tried to go to the UK.
“If the German authorities had given us protection at the beginning, we would not have had to use boats and cross the Channel to reach the UK,” Ms Al Shammari said.
“I want to tell people that I’m struggling, I’m really struggling to find a better future and a good career for my children,” she said.
“This world is not fair, not all people, not all the world, (but) the people we meet on that journey are not fair.”
While an investigation into Al-Shammari’s death continues in France, in the UK the National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested a 29-year-old Egyptian on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration in connection with the border crossing and released him on bail.
While Al Shammari’s family wait for his body to be handed over to authorities, a collective in France called Groupe Deces is trying to raise 5,000 euros (£4,280) for his funeral.
Asked if the family would try to go to the UK, Ms Al Shammari, from Calais, said: “We have no choice here, where do we go?
“Who will provide us with protection? We have to do it again.”
According to confirmed reports from rescue operations by French Coast Guard teams, 17 people have lost their lives in the English Channel so far this year.