Migrant boat capsize: 6 dead, over 50 rescued from English Channel

At least six people died and more than 50 were rescued after a migrant boat trying to cross the English Channel from France to the U.K. capsized early on Saturday, local authorities said.

Local mayor Franck Dhersin said a vast rescue operation was launched around 6 a.m. as dozens of migrant boats tried to make the crossing at the same time. Officials confirmed that search and rescue operations were ongoing, with Britain's coast guard saying it sent a lifeboat from Dover to assist with the rescue, along with a rescue team and ambulance staff.

“They were in trouble," said Jean-Pierre Finot, head of the Gravelines branch of the French National Sea Rescue Society. He added that there was a “problem of seasickness” and that the boats were “quite simply overloaded.”

The Channel between France and Britain is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making the crossing on small boats dangerous. U.K. government figures show that the number of migrant Channel crossings since the start of 2018 exceeded 100,000 this week. The number so far this year stands at nearly 16,000.

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