One drowns in new Channel migrant tragedy: French officials

By AFP
|
December 16, 2023

CALAIS, France: One person drowned and another was seriously hurt overnight on Thursday to Friday when a boat carrying dozens of migrants trying to reach the English coast capsized in the Channel, French maritime authorities said.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin (C) attends a meeting with police officers at the Calais police station, northern France, on December 15, 2023. — AFP

Two more people may be missing, the regional maritime prefecture told AFP. A total of 66 people were retrieved from the boat, it added. Among those recovered, “one unconscious victim, in critical condition, was taken by helicopter to the hospital in Calais”, while a second “could not be revived”. The critically hurt person´s condition later stabilised, a source familiar with the case said.

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