At least eight people have died overnight while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom, according to French authorities.
The regional prefect, Jacques Billant, said the incident happened at about 1am (23:00 GMT on Saturday) off the coast of the northern town of Ambleteuse.
“The toll was terrible, with eight people reported dead,” he told the press near the site of the accident.
Six survivors were hospitalised, including a 10-month-old baby with hypothermia, he added.
The boat had set off from the Slack River that flows into the sea between the towns of Wimereux and Ambleteuse. Billant said 59 people from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran were on board.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after 12 people were killed after a boat they were travelling in capsized during an attempted crossing of the Channel.
According to British officials, more than 22,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in England by crossing the Channel since the beginning of this year.
Credit: aljazeera.com
