At least two dozen people died trying to reach British shores after a dinghy carrying migrants capsized while crossing the Channel from France to the UK, local officials say.
Speaking on French television on Wednesday, Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart said at least 27 people had been found dead in the water.
Earlier, Franck Dhersin, mayor of Téteghem, which is near Dunkirk, and vice president of transport for the northern France region, said that at least 24 people had died, while 26 others had been rescued."Lots of corpses in the water," he wrote, calling the incident"a new tragedy."in the face of the tragedy of numerous deaths due to the capsizing of a migrant boat in the English Channel.
He added that enough could not be said"about the criminal nature of the smugglers who organize these crossings." Migrants are helped ashore from a Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat at a beach in Dungeness, on the southeast coast of England, on Nov. 24, 2021, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel.had seen at least two small dinghies earlier on Wednesday.Margolle said another fisherman called rescue operators after spotting the empty dinghy and seeing several people floating in the water nearby.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions over small boat crossings on the Channel, with both French and British officials ramping up efforts to block asylum seekers from making the journey.Chantal Da Silva
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
At least 27 migrants reported dead after boat sinks off French coastAt least 27 migrants are dead after a boat capsized in the English Channel, off the coast of Calais, northern France on Wednesday, police sources told CNN affiliate BFMTV.
Read more »
Migrants channel crossing - Latest: Rescue operation underway as reports over 30 have died in boat sinkingAt least 24 migrants have died after their inflatable boat capsized in the English Channel, a French official has said.
Read more »
Ferry capsizes in Sri Lanka; at least 6 deadA ferry capsized in eastern Sri Lanka, killing at least six people — including four children — a navy spokesperson says. Twelve people have been rescued. The number of people on board the ferry wasn't immediately clear.
Read more »
Ferry capsizes in Sri Lanka; at least 6 deadA navy spokesperson says a ferry capsized Tuesday in eastern Sri Lanka, killing at least six people.
Read more »