Lille:
A baby died when an overloaded boat with migrants bound for Britain sank in the English Channel off the coast of France on Thursday evening, French maritime authorities said on Friday.
The incident took place off the French town of Vissan, the maritime authorities in charge of the Channel and North Sea told AFP, adding that 65 people had been rescued, but “a baby was found unconscious and sadly pronounced dead”.
The latest sinking brings to at least 52 the number of migrants who have died trying to cross the Channel this year, a record since 2018.
On September 3, six children and as many adults died. A month later, a two-year-old boy and three adults died after overloaded boats ran into trouble during the perilous crossing.
The number of migrants arriving in Britain by boat has averaged 53 this year, compared with 13 in 2020, according to official British figures.
More than 26,000 migrants have landed on British shores since January 1, according to UK Home Office figures.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated by a syndicated channel.)
