At least four migrants dead and nearly 60 rescued after shipwreck off French coast

12 Jul. () –

Authorities in the Pas-de-Calais prefecture reported on Friday that four migrants had died and nearly 60 had been rescued after falling overboard from the boat in which they were trying to cross the English Channel off the French coast, near the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The emergency services, which received a call at around 7:00 a.m. (local time), have indicated that the deceased died after going into cardiac arrest, although their deaths were later confirmed after they were transferred to port, according to information collected by the local newspaper ‘La Semaine dans le Boulonnais’.

Rescue operations continue in the area with the help of several divers, in an operation that has also included the deployment of firefighters, police and members of the security forces, among others.

This brings the number of people who have died trying to reach the British coast via the English Channel so far this year to around twenty. Last April, five migrants perished off the coast of Wimereux.