FILE - A boat thought to carry migrants is escorted by a vessel from the French Gendarmerie Nationale in the English Channel off Wimereux beach, France, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga, File)
Republished May 19, 2025 - 9:26 AM
Original Publication Date May 19, 2025 - 3:56 AM
PARIS (AP) — One person died and another is missing after a boat overloaded with migrants broke apart during an attempted overnight crossing of the English Channel, French maritime authorities said Monday — bringing the death toll this year in the perilous waterway to at least 12.
French and British rescue services pulled 61 survivors from the sea off the coast of Pas-de-Calais overnight into Monday. Among them were a woman and her child suffering from hypothermia who were flown to a hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, according to a statement from the maritime prefecture.
A French Navy helicopter later spotted a body floating in the water, which was recovered by a British lifeboat. One person remains missing.
French maritime authorities said they sent out an emergency message for assistance when the boat sank, prompting British boats and an aircraft to join the rescue operation with French vessels and the French helicopter carrying a medical team.
News from © The Associated Press, 2025