OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:50 PM – Sunday, January 14, 2024
Five people were found dead and dozens of others were rescued after trying to cross the English Channel from northern France.
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The French maritime authorities for the English Channel and North Sea reported that they saw the migrant-carrying boat in difficulties early on Sunday off a beach in the coastal village of Wimereux.
They also stated that the busy sea lane, drownings, sinkings, and other occasionally fatal incidents happen frequently, usually aboard crowded, flimsy boats. It’s below freezing in the winter air, and the sea is extremely cold.
Maritime authorities released a statement stating that the five deceased were either found washed up along the beach or recovered from the sea.
The search was conducted using multiple rescue vessels and a helicopter from the French Navy.
More than thirty more migrants received assistance from rescue services, according to maritime authorities. They included a person found unconscious on the beach and hospitalized in critical condition in the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Severe hypothermia was treated in another individual.
Multiple French vessels are reportedly operating off the northern coast of France as a result of improved Channel conditions following a period of bad weather, which increases the likelihood of crossing attempts.
Authorities said that more coastal monitoring and rescue efforts are in progress, but they did not provide any specifics at this time.
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