Eight dead after attempt to cross Channel – as 801 people arrived in Britain on small boats yesterday | World news

At least eight migrants have died off the coast of France while attempting to cross the English Channel. According to new data, 801 people reached British shores yesterday.

Latest government figures show that the arrivals began their journey on Saturday in 14 boats.

This is the second highest number of arrivals this year. The current record for the highest number of arrivals in one day this year is 882 arrivals in 15 boats on 18 June.

The fatalities occurred when the ship “broke apart on the rocks” overnight off Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, a regional official said.

About 51 survivors of the disaster were rescued. Six were hospitalized, including a 10-month-old baby who suffered from hypothermia.

“Out of greed for profit, traffickers are risking more and more lives by selling passage in dangerous conditions on unsuitable boats,” said official Jacques Billant. “This literally leads them to their deaths.”

“The boats are overloaded, of poor quality, have insufficient air pressure, no proper floor, insufficient engine power and there are no life jackets for all passengers.”

Only one in six people on the boat had a life jacket, he added.

Previously, the French authorities had rescued around 200 people off the coast of Calais within 24 hours during the night from Friday to Saturday.

A boat with Migrants The ship, which was in poor condition, was located off the coast of the French coastal town of Le Portel and 55 people were rescued.

Elsewhere, 61 people were picked up off the coast of La Becque d'Hardelot, 48 people were recovered near a lighthouse and another 36 were rescued by the end of the day, French authorities said.

All rescued people were brought back to land.

French authorities said they observed 18 attempts to bring boats across the canal on Saturday.

Reacting to the disaster, Foreign Minister David Lammy said: “It is terrible. More lives have been lost.”

He added that the government is “discussing how we can fight these gangs in cooperation with other European partners.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Director of Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International UK, said: “This is another horrific and preventable tragedy and our sincere condolences go out to the families and friends of those killed.

“These dangerous border crossings appear to be becoming increasingly dangerous. This suggests that smugglers are putting more and more lives at risk as they try to evade the investigative efforts of the British and French authorities.”

He added: “The government's 'break the gangs' slogan and its tough security approach are contributing to the high death toll, because the refusal to establish safe asylum routes means that these flimsy, people-smuggler-controlled vessels are the only real option for desperate people fleeing persecution.”

Valdez-Symonds added: “Until British ministers and their French counterparts start to take shared responsibility for safe routes, we must expect this weekend's tragedy to be repeated again and again.”

It happened less than two weeks after at least 12 people, including 10 women and girls, died when a boat carrying dozens of migrants torn apart in the English Channel.

The French coast guard said more than 65 people were rescued after the ship ran into difficulties off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said only eight of the 70 people on board had life jackets.

It was the deadliest incident so far this year; 25 people had already died while trying to cross the Channel.

At least 45 people have died crossing the Channel so far this year.

According to government figures, more than 21,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats between January and September this year.