4 migrants die while attempting to cross the English Channel from northern France

French authorities say four migrants have died while trying to cross the English Channel from France to the U.K. Their inflatable boat capsized and punctured off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France

Migration France (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Four migrants have died while trying to cross the English Channel on an inflatable boat from France to the U.K., French authorities said Friday.

The migrants' vessel capsized and punctured off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France, the prefecture responsible for the region said in a statement. Sixty-three people were rescued by the French coast guard.

The prefecture said a French navy patrol boat spotted the overcrowded vessel early Friday as it deflated off the French coast. Several people were “drifting in the water while others were still clinging to the broken rubber dingy," the statement said.

Navy vessels, a fishing boat and a Navy helicopter joined the effort. Survivors were brought to the shore in Boulogne to receive medical attention and temporary shelter, the statement also said.

Migrants trying to reach the U.K. risk drowning as they try to cross the busy English Channel, often aboard crowded, unseaworthy boats.

Last month, British authorities rescued 80 migrants at sea after a small boat got into difficulty while crossing the English Channel from France.

The Home Office said the provisional total number of crossings for this year was well over 10,000, which is up 42% on the number recorded this time last year and 8% higher than at the same point in 2022.

An estimated 30,000 people made the crossing in 2023, according to U.K. government figures.