Twelve dead after migrant boat sinks in English Channel

A tragic incident off the French coast in the English Channel has resulted in the deaths of twelve people, including six children and a pregnant woman.

According to the local prosecutor's office, ten of the deceased were female and two were male, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

More than 50 people were rescued off Cape Gris-Nez, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, the French coast guard reports. Two are said to be in critical condition.

Officials say the boat was overloaded and that its bottom "ripped open", while fewer than eight people on board were wearing life jackets.

The disaster is the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year.

One source suggested a Syrian smuggler might have been involved.

Local prosecutor Guirec Le Bras said officials believed the victims had been "primarily of Eritrean origin" though they could not yet "specify the exact nationalities".

Before Tuesday's incident, 30 people had already died crossing the Channel in 2024 - the highest figure for any year since 2021, when 45 deaths were recorded, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration.

News.Az