A man who arrived in the UK on a small boat a week ago and was being processed at Manston has died, the Home Office said on Saturday. He became ill while at the Kent detention site and was taken to hospital, but later died.
t is understood that he arrived on 12 November and was taken ill on Friday evening.
“We can confirm a person staying at Manston has died this morning [Saturday] in hospital after becoming unwell,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
The facility provides basic temporary accommodation to small boat arrivals while they undergo processing and can hold 1,000 people, with a maximum of 1,600, but was described in October as being “catastrophically overcrowded”.
Manston has been hit by a series of scandals including reports of infectious diseases like diphtheria, guards selling drugs to asylum seekers, and some new arrivals being left stranded in central London. Legal challenges are under way about conditions on the site.
Clare Moseley, founder of the charity Care4Calais, which works with asylum seekers in the UK and in northern France, said: “Our condolences are with the family and friends of this man.”
She added that the charity “continue to have concerns about the health facilities at the centre”.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “Every person in Manston must be looked after with the care and attention they need so when a tragic death likes this takes place it is a matter of serious concern. It is vital a thorough and speedy investigation takes place to understand what happened and whether all the necessary procedures were followed.”
Read more at the Guardian
