Police forces patrol by boat as they leave the port in Calais, France, on November 25, 2022. At least six migrants seeking to enter Britain died in the English Channel near the city on Saturday when their small boat capsized. File Photo by Yoan Valat/EPA-EFE
Aug. 12 (UPI) — At least six people are dead and more than 50 have been rescued after a boat carrying migrants capsized and sank near Calais in the English Channel early Saturday morning, French and British officials said.
Two people still may be unaccounted for following the incident, which saw 58 people safely pulled from the water by British and French Coast Guards, according to French authorities.
A rescue operation involved more than a dozen French and British ships and two helicopters, Franck Dhersin, mayor of the French town of Téteghem, told reporters.
“My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic loss of life in the Channel today,” British Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in a statement Saturday.
“This morning I spoke with our Border Force teams who have been supporting the French authorities in response to this incident.”
My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic loss of life in the Channel today.
This morning I spoke with our Border Force teams who have been supporting the French authorities in response to this incident.— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) August 12, 2023
Witnesses describe the sunken vessel as being “overloaded” at the time. The incident technically took place in French territorial waters.
French officials estimated there were around 66 passengers on board the ship, the BBC reported. Of those who were rescued, more than 20 were taken to the British port city of Dover while 36 were taken to Calais.
British government officials confirmed more than 750 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats Thursday, the highest-ever daily total.
Britain has been attempting to deal with a rising number of migrants seeking to enter the country by crossing the English Channel in small boats.
The country introduced legislation in May aimed at stopping the influx of people using small boats each year by making it illegal. The government this month instituted a controversial plan to house asylum seekers on a barge moored on the south coast.