An infant who drowned Thursday night in the English Channel off the coast of France when an overloaded boat carrying migrants trying to reach Britain capsized, French authorities said today.
During an operation to rescue the migrants who fell into the sea “65 people were pulled out safe and sound”, but “after investigations an infant was found unconscious in the water and unfortunately he was pronounced dead”, the Channel and North Sea Port Authorities pointed out .
Tragedy as baby dies after migrant boat capsizes in English Channel pic.twitter.com/O9Azngw7Bk
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) October 18, 2024
The death brings to at least 52 people who have died trying to reach Britain across the Channel so far this year. This is a record number since early 2018 when these makeshift barge crossings began. The victims of these shipwrecks often include children.
Half of the victims are minors
On September 3, half of the twelve victims of this year’s worst shipwreck were minors. On October 5, a two-year-old child was killed when he was trampled while on a damaged boat carrying 90 people.
Conditions across the English Channel, “one of the world’s busiest migration routes”, according to the French coast guard, are particularly dangerous.
As of January 1, ships that have arrived at British authorities had an average of 53 passengers each, up from 13 in 2020, according to official British figures.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 26,000 migrants have arrived in Britain through the English Channel.
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