Baby Dies, 65 Rescued After Overloaded Migrant Ship Sinks Off French Coast.
An overloaded migrant dinghy headed for the UK from France on Thursday night capsized and sank, killing one baby. Despite French maritime authorities managing to rescue 65 people from the ship, this latest sinking makes 2024 the deadliest year since 2018 for migrants trying to cross the English Channel.
The accident occurred off the French town of Wissant, the maritime authority in charge of the Channel and the North Sea told AFP, adding that 65 people were rescued but a “baby was found unconscious and sadly declared dead”.
The latest sinking brings the number of migrants who perished while trying to cross the Channel this year to at least 52 – a record since 2018.
On September 3, six children and an equal number of adults died. A month later, a two year old boy and three adults died after overloaded boats got into trouble during the dangerous crossing.
The number of migrants arriving in boats to Britain averaged 53 this year as opposed to 13 in 2020, according to official British figures.
Over 26,000 migrants have landed on British shores since January 1, according to UK Home Office figures.
(AFP)
