Man dies after boat deflates crossing Channel, French authorities say
The man - an Indian aged around 40 years old - was onboard a small boat that quickly deflated after leaving northern France.
Sunday 27 October 2024 23:21, UK
A man has died after a boat carrying migrants deflated in the English Channel, officials say.
French authorities said the man, who was Indian and around 40 years old, was on a boat that departed from Tardinghen, northern France, at 5.30am on Sunday.
The boat quickly deflated after departing, and those onboard swam back to the beach, authorities said.
Emergency services attempted to help the man, but he died at the scene.
Authorities also said several other attempts were stopped by police on Sunday morning, including in Equihen-Plage, Calais and Sangatte.
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On Wednesday morning, three people died when an inflatable boat carrying migrants sank in the Channel.
That incident took place off the coast of Sangatte, close to Calais, where around 50 migrants are understood to have fallen into the water shortly after 8am.
It comes after Home Offices figures showed that as of Saturday, more migrants had crossed the Channel in small boats than in the whole of 2023.
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Friday saw 424 people make the perilous journey, taking the 2024 total to 29,578.
Last year, 29,437 migrants crossed from France to the UK.
By comparison, in 2022, 45,791 people crossed the waters.