A French Navy helicopter spotted an unconscious person in the water who was retrieved by the RNLI and taken aboard the Abeille Normandie. Medical staff declared the person dead
By Titilope Adako
One person died and 61 were rescued after an overloaded migrant boat broke apart in the English Channel overnight, French authorities confirmed.
The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea reported that the boat carrying dozens of migrants disintegrated, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.
Among those saved were a child and his mother, both suffering from hypothermia.
The French rescue tug Abeille Normandie deployed three speedboats to recover 50 survivors.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat from Dungeness rescued two more, while the British Border Force vessel Ranger saved nine others. All survivors were transferred to the French tug.
A French Navy helicopter spotted an unconscious person in the water who was retrieved by the RNLI and taken aboard the Abeille Normandie. Medical staff declared the person dead.
A UK government spokesperson said, “We can confirm a tragic incident in the Channel involving a small boat in French waters has resulted in one death. This tragedy highlights the grave dangers of small boat crossings. We continue to act to prevent criminals exploiting vulnerable people. Our thoughts are with those affected.”
The rescued child and mother were airlifted to hospital, and the other survivors were taken ashore at Boulogne-sur-Mer, near Calais. Their medical conditions have not been disclosed.
This fatal incident occurs amid rising Channel crossings, with over 12,000 people recorded arriving in the UK this year. In the week ending May 17, 1,125 migrants made the dangerous crossing by small boat.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind the smuggling networks, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned Britain risks becoming “an island of strangers” if immigration is not reduced.
Sunak aims to cut net migration by the end of the current parliamentary term in 2029.