At least 12 dead after boat carrying migrants capsizes in the English Channel

Hugh Schofield
Paris correspondent

It has now been officially confirmed that at least 12 people died when the small boat sank in the English Channel this morning.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, on his way to the rescue center in Boulogne-sur-Mer, says two more people are missing and several people need hospital treatment.

French news agency AFP quoted an anonymous source as saying the death toll was 13, including three minors.

This is the highest number of casualties in the canal since the beginning of the year.

This brings the number of migrants who will die trying to reach England in 2024 to almost 40. The French authorities blame the rising number of deaths on unscrupulous people smugglers who cram too many people onto unseaworthy boats.