One person has died and 15 people have been rescued while trying to cross the English Channel overnight in an overloaded small boat.
French authorities said the boat initially set off close to the port of Dunkirk at 11:30pm on Wednesday, with around 40 people on board.
But more than three hours later, at around 3:30am, the boat then picked up a further group of people on the Gravelines coast, which lies some 20 kilometres to the west of Dunkirk.
Three people were rescued from the water and a group of 12 others on board the dinghy asked to be evacuated, the French coastguard said.
One person rescued was unconscious and was declared dead despite medical treatment, after being airlifted by a Navy helicopter onto the state-chartered vessel which had been monitoring the dinghy throughout its journey.
The 14 other people rescued were taken back to the French shoreline on a patrol boat, where they received medical treatment. An investigation has been opened by the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office.
French authorities said in their statement on Thursday morning that they were continuing to monitor the dinghy as it continued to travel towards the UK, with around 80 people still on board.
More follows…
