An overloaded dinghy carrying migrants travelling to the UK from France capsized and sank on Thursday evening, killing one child. Although French maritime authorities managed to rescue 65 people from the vessel, this latest sinking makes 2024 the deadliest year since 2018 for migrants trying to cross the English Channel, French maritime authorities said.
The French maritime prefecture for the English Channel and North Sea said another 65 migrants had been rescued after the incident off the coast of Vissant in the Pas-de-Calais region. Those rescued were taken back to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
A French Navy patrol boat and a helicopter were involved in the rescue operation. The child was found unconscious and later pronounced dead. Authorities said the search for the missing person was continuing. The Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation.
The latest shipwreck brings the number of migrants killed trying to cross the Channel this year to at least 52 – a record since 2018.
On September 3, six children and the same number of adults died. A month later, a two-year-old boy and three adults died after overloaded boats got into trouble during a dangerous crossing.
A total of 27,509 people have arrived in the UK on small boats this year after crossing the Channel – up 5% on the same period last year. The total number of arrivals is 26% lower than the same period in 2022.
According to the UK Home Office, more than 26,000 migrants have landed on British shores since January 1.
