Two dead after packed migrant boat sinks in Channel

23 October 2024, 09:46 | Updated: 23 October 2024, 11:20

Two people have died after a migrant boat sank in the Channel.

The incident happened just off the coast of Sangatte, near Calais, on Wednesday morning.

Around 50 people are believed to have been on board when the migrant boat sank shortly after 8am.

Ferries between Dover and Calais are disrupted - with P&O, DFDS and Irish Ferries warning of long delays this morning.

The victims were provided with first aid assistance when rescued from the water - but were confirmed dead on the scene.

46 people were rescued after the overcrowded boat hit trouble on the English Channel, around 2km from the shoreline, French authorities said.

The UK Border Force confirmed it "is actively engaged in a search and rescue operation".

Peter Allen gives Nick Ferrari the latest as a migrant boat sinks in the channel

Searches continue for any missing people in the area.

This comes just days after a child died when a boat carrying nearly 70 migrants sank in the Channel.

The baby was found unconscious following the incident and later declared dead.

A total of 27,509 people have arrived in the UK in small boats so far this year after crossing the channel - 5% higher than the equivalent point last year.

So far this year, 47 deaths have been reported by the French coastguard, including a baby who died when a boat got into difficulty on Thursday evening.

These deaths come after the UK and other G7 nations agreed an anti-smuggling action plan designed to boost co-operation in stopping small boats.

The Home Office said this includes joint investigations and intelligence-sharing in a bid to target criminal smuggling routes.

The action plan also details "working collaboratively" with social media companies to monitor the internet and different platforms to prevent them being used to enable migrant smuggling and people trafficking.

This includes calling on social media companies "to do more to respond to online content that advertises migrant smuggling services".

A Home Office spokesman said: "We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

"As we have seen with so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, the people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay.

"We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.

"We are making progress, bolstering our personnel numbers in the UK and abroad. Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest and prosecute these evil criminals."