Four migrants trying to reach Britain died overnight Thursday night after their boat capsized in the English Channel, a French coastguard spokesman said on Friday.
The incident occurred near Boulogne-sur-Mer on France’s northern coast. The fatal shipwreck was confirmed shortly after 6 a.m. Local authorities confirmed to French publications that 60 other migrants had been rescued.
A French Navy patrol boat arrived on the scene after receiving a signal that several migrants had fallen into the English Channel.
A spokesman for the French coastguard emphasised that it was still gathering verified information about the latest incident and would not comment further for now.
The incident occurred after French police officers were photographed waiting for migrants crossing the Channel for the dangerous 21-mile journey to British shores from Gravelines in Normandy.
The rising death toll will put extra pressure on the UK government to deal with the crisis.
The death toll from crossing the Channel this year has reached 19. Five migrants died on April 23 while trying to cross the dangerous 21-mile journey. Another five died in a separate incident in January.
About 30,000 migrants will cross the Channel from mainland Europe to Britain in small boats in 2023, a third fewer than in a year earlier, according to the British government. In November 2021, at least 27 people drowned when their boat capsized.
