Eight people died last night while trying to cross the English Channel from France to England, French police said.
Rescue services were alerted after the boat ran into difficulties in waters north of Boulogne-sur-Mer in the northern Pas-de-Calais region just after 01:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
There were about 60 people on board the rubber boat from countries including Eritrea, Sudan, Syria and Iran.
The incident comes less than two weeks after 12 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, died when a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank, in the worst loss of life in the canal this year.
The French coastguard said the boat involved in the Sunday incident was seen heading towards a beach in the town of Ambleteuse but rescue teams were unable to provide assistance from the sea.
After struggling, she rushed to the rocks where she crashed.
The Coast Guard said emergency services attended to 53 people on the beach and confirmed eight deaths. Six people were taken to hospital, including a child suffering from hypothermia.
No other people were found during the sea search.
An investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor’s office.
A British government spokesman confirmed the latest incident, saying French authorities were leading the response and investigation.
Foreign Minister David Lammy said it was “appalling” to hear reports of “another loss of life” in the canal.
“Of course many people couldn’t cross the Channel,” he said on Sunday’s show with Laura Kuenssberg, after seeing the types of inflatable boats people were using.
He also confirmed the government’s plan to work with European partners to tackle criminal people smuggling gangs to deter small boat crossings.
The past two days have seen a flurry of attempts to cross the canal as the weather has calmed.
Some 801 people crossed the English Channel on Saturday, the second-highest daily number so far this year, according to provisional Home Office figures. On June 18, 882 people made the journey.
French maritime authorities said 200 people were rescued in 24 hours on Friday and Saturday.
The French Coast Guard and other rescuers managed to save people on board four separate boats – one carrying 61 people, another carrying 55 people, and two others carrying 48 and 36 people each.
18 crossing attempts were monitored by the authorities throughout the day.
Including the last eight victims, the total death toll is 45 people. He died in the canal this year — the highest number reported since 2021, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
More than 23,000 people have crossed the English Channel this year.
Amnesty International UK said the latest incident was “another horrific and avoidable tragedy”.
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said deaths were not “inevitable” and a comprehensive approach was needed to reduce crossings.
“Law enforcement alone is not the solution,” he said, adding that access to safe asylum routes needed to be improved.
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