A boat carrying more than migrants capsized in the Channel off the coast of France overnight Thursday to Friday while attempting to reach Britain, killing one and injuring another, according to French maritime authorities.
Among the 66 people who were rescued, “one unconscious victim, in critical condition, was taken by helicopter to the hospital in Calais,” while a second “could not be revived,” the authorities said.
During the night, French sea rescue coordinators at Griz Nez near Calais were alerted that a migrant boat was in distress less than eight kilometers (five miles) from the coast.
According to maritime authorities, a rescue vessel arrived in the area around 30 minutes past midnight (2330 GMT).
After discovering one of the migrant boat’s buoyancy tubes “deflated” and people “in the water,” the crew brought everyone they could find back to Calais.
Boats and aircraft are still searching for survivors, with French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin set to arrive in Calais on Friday morning.
Tens of thousands of people cross the English Channel from France in small boats each year, making the issue a political priority for the British government and a source of contention between London and Paris.
The human toll has been high, with one of the worst-ever sinkings taking 27 lives two years ago.
A migrant boat carrying 60 migrants sank in late November, killing a man and a woman.
Six Afghans drowned in August of this year after their small boat capsized.
According to French authorities, boats are increasingly overcrowded, with an average of about 53 passengers, nearly double the average of two years ago.
According to British government statistics up to the end of November, more than 28,000 people have crossed the Channel since the beginning of this year, compared to nearly 46,000 for the entire year last year.
