LONDON (AP) — An asylum-seeker on board a barge housing migrants off the south coast of England has died and a police investigation has been launched into the incident, British officials said Tuesday.
The Home Office said police confirmed the death on the barge, called the Bibby Stockholm. Authorities said in a statement that they could not comment further because of an ongoing police investigation.
A Dorset Police spokesperson said officers received “a report of a sudden death of a resident on the Bibby Stockholm” late Tuesday.
“Officers are conducting inquiries into the circumstances of the incident,” it said.
The Bibby Stockholm has been at the center of controversy since authorities first deployed the vessel as a solution to housing migrants awaiting the outcome of their asylum applications.
Earlier this year the ship had to be evacuated following the discovery of legionella bacteria, which can cause serious illness, in its water supply. About 40 men returned in October to the vessel, moored in Portland, Dorset.
Migrants’ rights groups have criticized conditions onboard the barge, saying it was prison-like, isolating and punishing for migrants who may have fled torture or persecution.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman previously insisted the barge was safe amid repeated protests and threats of legal action from the firefighters’ union over fire safety concerns.
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