5 migrants die trying to cross to UK via the Channel
- The group were trying to reach a vessel off a French town when their small boat encountered difficulties
- Calais has long been a magnet for migrants as the shortest crossing to England is from the French port city
About 70 migrants, including small children, were rescued, said a source familiar with the situation.
The fatalities were the first reported migrant deaths on the Channel in 2024. Those dead are believed to be Iraqi and Syrian, local newspaper La Voix du Nord said.
The group were attempting to reach a vessel off the resort town of Wimereux when their small boat got into difficulty around 2am (1am GMT), the maritime prefecture said.
The crew of a French tow vessel, the Abeille Normandie, went to the rescue and spotted “unconscious and lifeless people” in the water, the official said, estimating the water temperature to be around nine degrees Celsius.
The survivors were taken to Calais. According to one person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, around 70 migrants were brought in at around 3am, including “entire families with children, some of them very young”.