13 dead as boat carrying 50 migrants capsizes in English Channel

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - At least 13 people, including three children, have died after a boat carrying up to 70 migrants ripped open and capsized in the English Channel.

A major rescue operation is underway to rescue people from the water after the inflatable vessel got into difficulty off the coast of France.

The French coast guard initially confirmed 10 people were in critical condition following the sinking.

Rescue workers were deployed close to Le Portel, a town of around 9,000, shortly after 11.30am.

Olivier Barbarin, chief of Le Portel, near Boulogne-sur-Mer where casualties are being treated, said: 'Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open. It's a big drama.'

TV channel France 3 claimed the mayor of Le Portel, Olivier Barbarin, said 'around 10 people in cardio-respiratory arrest'.

Some of those rescued were taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer while others were lifted by helicopter to Le Portel.

Emergency services have rushed to the scene to respond to the incident.

A French emergency services spokesman said rescue services were working off the coast, around the former hoverport in Le Portel, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

'The sinking of a boat overcrowded with around 70 migrants on board took place early on Tuesday,' said the spokesman.

'A Navy helicopter is bringing in victims who are in a critical condition. Some appear to have been suffocated. Around 10 people have been reported dead.'

Victims were also being taken back to Bassin Loubet in Boulogne-sur-Mer on board a semi-rigid boat, said the spokesman.

The mayor of Le Portel, Olivier Barbarin, has closed the beach at the former hoverport in Le Portel to allow helicopters to land.

Frédéric Cuvillier, the mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, said: 'A new tragedy linked to the migration situation has just taken place on our territory.'

'A boat carrying nearly 70 people sank off our coast. The toll, unfortunately without being stabilized, is heavy with more than 10 victims and people in absolute emergency situations,' he said in a social media post.