A migrant has died and five others, including three young children, have been hospitalised after an overcrowded boat sank in the English Channel.
The body of a 40-year-old man, who was described by an emergency services source as being of Indian heritage, was pulled out of the sea at Tardinghen, near Boulogne-sur-mer, on the northern French coast, this morning.
Five others – a six-month-old baby, two children aged five and six, and two adults aged 28 and 32 – are in intensive care, the source said.
The boat carrying about 50 people reportedly deflated within minutes of leaving the French coast.
They managed to swim back to the shore where attempts were made to resuscitate the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The death of the man – who has not been identified – means 56 people have died in similar circumstances this year alone.
‘Up to 15 people ended up in the sea after a failed crossing attempt,’ said an emergency services source.
‘The deceased man is an Indian national, aged 40. He was travelling with family members. Five others were placed in intensive care.’
These were a six-month-old baby, two children aged five and six, and two adults aged 28 and 32, said the source.
He added: ‘Calais firefighters were first deployed to the beach at Tardinghen at around 6am, following a call.
‘Those on the beach had returned from a failed crossing attempt, after their boat fell apart in the sea. It was in poor condition and deflated.
‘Those on board swam back to Tardinghen beach, and immediately created a fire to try and warm up.
‘The deceased was surrounded by people trying to revive him, but he was declared dead at the scene. The other five were rushed to hospital for emergency care.’
A criminal investigation was immediately opened by the Boulogne prosecutors because of suspicions that people smugglers had provided the flimsy craft, which was not recovered.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘This devastating tragedy is a further reminder that the people-smuggling gangs only care about the profits they make, not about the lives they put at risk.
‘We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.
‘Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute these evil criminals.’
On Wednesday, three UK-bound migrants died when a small boat carrying 48 people sank in the Channel.
Two were found unconscious after being taken directly on to a rescue boat soon after 8am, while a third was spotted by ferry crew some three hours later.
Their stricken boat – a flimsy rubber dinghy – had around 48 people on board, despite being designed for 12 people maximum.
A criminal enquiry was launched the Friday before after a baby died on yet another overcrowded boat.
The child was found among 65 UK migrants rescued from a flimsy dinghy off the coast at Wissant, close to Calais.
In all cases, Boulogne-sur-mer prosecutors launched a criminal enquiry for ‘manslaugher’ by persons unknown, as judicial police tried to find those who had provided the boats.
Earlier this month, on October 5, a two-year-old child was among four people who died after being ‘trampled’ at the bottom of a similar boat.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said of the earlier tragedies: ‘Our government will intensify the fight against these mafias who are getting rich by organising these crossings of death.’
In April, a criminal enquiry was also launched following the deaths of five migrants including a little girl around Wimereux.
Five migrants also drowned while trying to get to Britain from Wimereux beach on January 14.
The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK – the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.
Last year, there were 67,337 asylum applications to the UK, and 29,437 of them came from people who arrived in small boats.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged this summer to ‘strengthen cooperation’ to fight the people smugglers.