Fatal Accident: 12 Confirmed Dead, 2 Missing After Migrant Boat Sinks in English Channel
Off the coast of Le Portel, northern France, a migrant boat overturned, triggering a devastating search and rescue operation in the English Channel. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that at least 12 persons have been officially declared deceased and that two more are still unaccounted for.
Out of the 65 individuals on board the ship trying to go to the UK, only 53 made it out alive, according to the French coast guard. This puts the occurrence to the highest death toll in the Channel for the year and brings the overall number of migrant fatalities in 2024 to about 40.
Search efforts are still on, a naval officer named Etienne Baggio told AFP. While rescue operations proceed, the victims are being flown to Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.
As of this disaster, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that thirty individuals had already died while attempting the perilous Channel crossing this year. This exceeds historical data for any year since 2021, when 45 fatalities were reported.
As officials on both sides endeavor to avert such fatalities, the tragedy serves as a reminder of the continued risk that migrants confront when trying to cross the English Channel in hazardous vessels.