Eight migrants die attempting to cross English Channel from France in rubber boat

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Eight migrants attempting to cross the English Channel from France in a small rubber boat died early Sunday, officials said.

The vessel with around 60 people from countries including Eritrea, Sudan, Syria and Iran got into difficulty in waters north of Boulogne-sur-mer in the northern Pas-de-Calais region, the BBC reported .

Authorities were alerted at 1 a.m. local time.

The boat was seen heading toward a beach in the town of Ambleteuse, the French coast guard said, but rescue teams could not offer assistance from the sea.

It went onto rocks where it came apart.

Care was provided to 53 people with eight confirmed deaths, the coast guard said. Six people were taken to a hospital including a baby with hypothermia.

"Driven by profit, human traffickers are putting more and more lives at risk, selling crossings in dangerous conditions on ill-suited boats," Jacques Billant, the regional prefect, said in a report by Sky News . "This is literally leading them to their deaths.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC many people were "of course not able to make it" in the type of vessel.

Only one in six people on the boat had a life jacket, Lammy said.

"The boats are overloaded, of poor quality, underinflated, without proper flooring, underpowered, and lack life jackets for all passengers," Lammy said.

He said his government has been working with European partners to tackle the criminal smuggling gangs to deter small boat crossings.

French authorities are leading an investigation.

On Saturday, 801 people crossed the Channel -- the second-highest daily total so far this year, according to provisional Home Office figures. On June 18, 882 people made the journey.

French maritime authorities said 200 people were rescued over 24 hours on Friday and Saturday.

On Sept. 6, a small inflatable ripped apart on a failed effort to cross the English Channel. Twelve people died.

After that incident Refugee Council CEO Enver Solomopn posted on X : "Any serious plan to tackle Channel crossings must extend beyond enforcement. Crucially, it should include expanded safe routes, such as refugee vias, schemes for family members to be reunited and far better cooperation with European partners."

Forty-five people have died attempting to cross the channel this year. It's the most reported number since 2021, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration.

More than 23,000 people have crossed the Channel this year.