Asylum seeker onboard Bibby Stockholm barge dies

An asylum seeker onboard the Bibby Stockholm barge has died.

The first asylum seekers were brought back in October to the huge vessel, which is moored in Portland, Dorset, two months after it was evacuated following the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the water supply.

Further details of the incident are yet to be confirmed.

The charity Care4Calais has criticised conditions on the barge.

Steve Smith, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “Our thoughts are with the person who has lost their life, their family and their friends. It is also with all those stuck onboard the Bibby Stockholm who will be experiencing a deep feeling of grief and worry today.

“The UK government must take responsibility for this human tragedy. They have wilfully ignored the trauma they are inflicting on people who are sent to the Bibby Stockholm, and the hundreds being accommodated in former military barracks.

“They are being separated from the rest of society and we have witnessed a serious deterioration of people’s mental health. We have regularly been reporting suicidal intentions among residents and no action is taken.

“This can no longer continue. Asylum seekers are human beings, many of whom have experienced the worst traumas imaginable through war, torture and persecution. It’s time our political leaders treated them as human beings, listened to the trauma they have experienced and offered them sanctuary. The government’s proxy war against refugees is costing lives.”