PARIS, Sept 15 (Askume) – Eight people have died while travelling from France to Britain, French authorities said on Sunday, confirming previous media reports.
Earlier this month , 12 people died when a boat heading to the UK capsized in the English Channel . This has increased pressure on the British and French governments to find a solution to the shipping problem.
Jacques Billante, governor of the Pas-de-Calais department, said rescue workers received information that a boat carrying 59 people was in trouble in the waters off the coast of Ambrette in the Pas-de-Calais department.
“Around 1 am there was a new development and we regret the death of eight people,” he said at a press conference, adding that the other 51 people on board the plane were currently under the care of rescue and medical teams.
He said the dead included people from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Egypt, Iran and Afghanistan.
The strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and has very strong currents, making it dangerous for small boats to cross.
The latest incidents bring to 46 the number of people who have died trying to cross the English Channel from France since the start of the year, Billante said.
He said that on September 14 alone there were eight attempts to cross the English Channel from France and about 200 migrants were rescued.
