Migrants board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel, on the beach of Gravelines, near Dunkirk, northern France on April 26, 2024. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP
Four migrants died in two separate attempts to cross the Channel from France to Britain, French authorities said Thursday, July 30.
Three bodies were found on a small boat that approached the coast to pick up passengers near the port of Dunkirk early Thursday, the maritime prefecture said.
Another boat sank late Wednesday off the seaside town of Hardelot, leading to the death of one man, authorities in the Pas-de-Calais region said. Rescue services took six people, including a one-year-old, into their care. Security forces "neutralized" the vessel, they said, without elaborating.
Migrants are drawn into frequent deadly tragedies as they seek to cross one of the world's busiest shipping lanes on flimsy dinghies, hoping to reach Britain.
