English Channel tragedy as man and woman drown after small migrant boat capsizes
Two people are reported to have died after a migrant boat capsized in the English Channel.
A major search and rescue operation is underway after the UK-bound boat got into trouble off French shores. Several people fell into the water when the dinghy got into difficulty, and sadly a man and woman drowned.
The bodies of the victims were found by firemen just off Équihen beach, south of Boulogne on Wednesday afternoon. Many of those rescued were suffering from hypothermia, having spent time in the water.
A British coastguard helicopter as well as the Dungeness RNLI lifeboat and the Border Force vessel Ranger are all currently involved in a search along with the French authorities south west off the coast of Cap Griz Nez near Calais. French coastguard officials have sadly confirmed the deaths.
Around 60 people were involved in the boat incident on Wednesday. The French Prefecture Maritime controlling the Channel said that internal security forces were able to stop several attempts to cross the Channel earlier in the day at the beach of Équihen.
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Alongside the helicopter, rescuers used three semi-rigid boats and two boats from the assistance and rescue intervention tug Abeille Normandie (Normandy Bee). At around 2.40pm, emergency services believed the majority of the 60 migrants in difficulty had been rescued. All survivors were taken to local hospitals.
The Mirror has contacted both HM Coastguard and the RNLI for further information. A spokesperson for the Regional Operational Centre for Surveillance and Rescue (CROSS) Gris Nez said: "At around 1.30 pm (French time) the VCSM Aber Ildut informed the CROSS Gris-Nez that a boat of migrants had set sail and was in great difficulty less than a kilometer from the beach. Several people fell into the water and some appear to be lifeless."
A number of French vessels were also deployed. The French Coastguard engaged the public service Dauphin helicopter from Le Touquet as well.
Crews on the CROSS boat recovered most of those who fell overboard at 2.30pm, but indicated that "two lifeless people" were no longer within sight. The Prefecture Maritime which covers the English Channel said: "The semi-rigid Triton arrived on the scene and a boat from the Boulogne-sur-Mer fire brigade were in charge of carrying out the search for the two people.
"At the same time, the Dauphin SP helicopter arrived on the scene around 13.10 pm and rescued a person in difficulty at sea. After being winched out by helicopter, she was dropped off on the beach and handed over to the fire department. A few minutes later, the helicopter relocated the two missing persons and confirmed that they were unresponsive.
"A French fire brigade boat picked up the two people, who unfortunately could not be resuscitated." The French rescue boat was able to pull 57 people to safety, several of whom were suffering from hypothermia. All of them were dropped off at the quay in Boulogne-sur-Mer and then taken care of by the SDIS62 teams.
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