8 migrants from France to UK die in latest English Channel shipwreck, baby under 6 in hospital

Eight migrants died on Sunday as they attempted to cross the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom, French maritime authorities said, according to a Reuters report. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. local time. Rescue services were alerted when the boat ran into difficulty in waters north of Boulogne-sur-mer in the northern Pas-de-Calais region.

According to the BBC, the boat’s 60 passengers came from countries including Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Egypt and Afghanistan.

The accident came about two weeks after 12 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, died while crossing the Channel, marking the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year. The series of tragedies underscores the pressure on the British and French governments to find ways to crack down on such boat crossings.

According to the BBC report, the French coast guard said the boat was spotted on Sunday heading towards the seaside resort of Ambleteuse. However, the rescue team was unable to help from the sea. “After getting into trouble, it was driven onto rocks where it broke apart,” the report said.

On the beach, emergency services treated 53 people and the coastguard confirmed eight had died. Six people were taken to hospital in “relative distress”, including a 10-month-old baby with hypothermia.

British officials expressed their sadness at the latest tragedy in the Channel. “It is terrible,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC. “It is another loss of life.” Lammy reiterated the British government’s plan to work with its European partners to crack down on criminal people-smuggling gangs and discourage small-boat crossings.

As Europe continues to tighten its strict asylum rules, rising xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants are driving them north. Some 46 people — the highest number since 2021 — have died this year trying to cross to the U.K., Jacques Billant, the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, was quoted as saying by CNN.

The BBC reported that 801 people crossed the Channel on Saturday — the second-highest daily total so far this year, according to preliminary Home Office figures. On June 18, 882 people made the journey.

According to Reuters, the Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and the currents are strong, making it dangerous to navigate in small boats.