() – At least 12 people died on Tuesday when a migrant boat sank off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez, in northern Franceaccording to French authorities.
According to the mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Frédéric Cuvillier, there were about 70 people on board. The exact number is not clear.
Emergency crews rescued 65 people, according to the maritime prefecture. Several of them were in critical condition and needed urgent medical attention.
Three helicopters, two fishing boats and two dinghies were deployed in the search and rescue operation.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is expected to visit the scene on Tuesday afternoon.
Dangerous small boat crossings across the English Channel have increased in recent years, with inflatable dinghies and other smaller vessels often used to carry large groups of people on the perilous journey in the hope of seeking asylum in the UK.
The issue became a major political hurdle for the previous Conservative government, criticised by immigrant rights groups for its hardline rhetoric against asylum seekers, and for the new Labour administration.
Tuesday’s incident is the latest in a series of tragedies in the English Channel. In August of last yearSix people died when a boat carrying dozens of immigrants capsized.
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