Lagatar24 Desk
Lille, France: Eight migrants tragically lost their lives early Sunday when their overcrowded boat capsized while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to England, French authorities have confirmed. This incident occurs less than two weeks after the deadliest disaster in the Channel this year.
A police source told AFP that the accident happened shortly after the vessel embarked on its journey. Regional prefect Jacques Billant is scheduled to hold a news conference at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) to provide further details, according to his office.
Maritime authorities reported on Saturday that numerous attempts to cross the Channel have been made in recent days. Over a 24-hour period on Friday and Saturday alone, 200 people were rescued while trying to undertake the dangerous voyage in small boats.
Earlier this month, at least 12 migrants, mostly from Eritrea, perished off the northern French coast when their boat carrying dozens capsized. That tragedy was the deadliest so far this year, bringing the total number of migrant deaths in the Channel to 37, up from 12 last year.
British officials have reported that more than 22,000 migrants have arrived in England by crossing the Channel since the beginning of this year. In response to the increasing number of undocumented migrants, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged this summer to strengthen cooperation in handling the surge.
The Channel crossings remain extremely perilous. In November 2021, 27 migrants died when their boat sank in the deadliest single disaster to date. French authorities actively work to prevent migrants from setting out to sea but typically do not intervene once boats are afloat, except for rescue operations due to safety concerns.
