Three migrants were confirmed to have died on October 23 off the French coast near Calais, French authorities said. They were trying to reach the UK across the English Channel.
The migrant boat was reported to have capsized -- most likely on account of carrying too many people onboard. The deadly incident occurred just two kilometers off the coast of Calais, which is located near the point with the shortest distance to the UK.
French maritime authorities said that the inflatable dinghy was heavily overloaded, highlighting that in addition to the three fatalities, 45 other people onboard the same boat were successfully rescued and brought to safety.
The French maritime prefecture added that the rescue mission involved not only French rescue vessels but also enlisted the aid of a passenger ferry run by the company Irish Ferries, which operates between France and the UK.
Heavy fog made the visibility conditions during the rescue more difficult; some of the regular ferry services between the two countries therefore had to be paused during the search and rescue mission for three hours.
At the busiest times of the day, there are ferry crossings between the UK and France roughly every half hour in each direction.
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Investigation to shed light on events
One of the victims was in fact pulled on board by the passenger ferry in question. He was reportedly unconscious when he was brought aboard and was then evacuated on a French navy helicopter to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
The two other victims meanwhile were also found in an unresponsive state by the French rescue team; attempts to revive them failed, and their deaths were confirmed back on land in Calais, the prefecture added.
An investigation has been opened at the local public prosecutor's office in Boulogne-sur-Mer to shed more light on the tragic series of events.
The maritime prefecture in charge of French waters in the English Channel said that after a series of recent fatalities at sea, this year was proving to be the deadliest year for migrants trying to cross to the UK ever since irregular boat journeys started surging in 2018.
'Deadliest year at sea'
A total of 52 people have died or remain missing to date this year after attempting to reach Britain across the English Channel. This compares to 16 dead or missing in 2023, five in 2022, and 35 instances in 2021.
Last month, at least 20 migrants were reported to have died in a series of shipwrecks in the Channel, catapulting the death toll to the highest in recent years.
The English Channel remains one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, with strong winds and currents making such crossings even more dangerous.
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More shipwrecks due to climate change
In recent weeks, there has also been unusual swelling of the sea during high tides, which some scientists have linked to global warming. This is also a threat to smaller vessels, likely resulting in further shipwrecks.
Last week, a baby died in another failed crossing attempt on an overloaded boat, while 65 people survived the ordeal and were rescued.
In two separate instances earlier in October, four migrants also died during similar crossing attempts, including a 2-year-old child.
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with Reuters, AP, AFP