A boat carrying more than 60 migrants capsized in the English Channel off France on the night of December 14-15 while trying to reach Britain, leaving one person dead and another in critical condition, AFP reported.
Among the 66 people removed, one of them was unconscious and in a critical condition, being taken by helicopter to the hospital in Calais, and another of the victims, after assistance from the rescue services, could not be saved.
French maritime rescue coordinators in Gris Nez near Calais were alerted that a migrant boat was in distress less than 8km off the coast. "A rescue vessel arrived in the area around 30 minutes after midnight," maritime authorities said.
Boats and planes are still searching for the remaining survivors, with French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanen expected to arrive on the scene.
Tens of thousands of people a year cross the English Channel in small boats, making the issue a political priority for the British government and a bone of contention between London and Paris.
Human casualties are high, with one of the worst sinkings 2 years ago claiming the lives of 27 people. In late November, a migrant boat carrying 60 people sank and a man and a woman drowned. And in August this year, 6 Afghans drowned after their small boat capsized.
French authorities say the boats are increasingly overcrowded, with an average of about 53 passengers almost double the average two years ago. According to British government statistics, by the end of November, more than 28,000 people have crossed the English Channel since the beginning of this year, while for the whole of last year they were almost 46,000. /BGNES
