3 days ago
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The French authorities have confirmed that eight migrants have died overnight while trying to cross the Channel from France to England.
The Police said rescue services were contacted after the boat fell into turbulence in the waters of north Boulogne-sur-mer in Pas-de-Calais after 01:00 local time (00:00 BST).
The migrants were reportedly traveling on a rubber vessel, which had left with 50 people on board, which sank shortly afterwards.
Latest tragic incident comes barely two weeks after 12 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, drowned when a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank on September 3, making it the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year.
French maritime authorities said on Saturday that 200 people were rescued in a 24-hour period over Friday and Saturday amid increasing spate of crossing attempts in the last two days with the arrival of calmer weather.
Four separate boats – one with 61, another with 55, and two others with 48 and 36 each have been rescued by the French coast guard while the efforts of other first responders rescued people on board.
United Nation’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had reported that the eight latest victims make it a total of 45 people, who have died in the Channel this year – the highest reported since 2021.
These tragic incidents appeared not to have deterred the migrants as more than 21,000 people have reportedly crossed the Channel this year, while eighteen attempted crossings were monitored by authorities over the course of the day.
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