Five die trying to cross Channel to UK in freezing cold

AFP | Calais

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Five migrants died and a sixth was in critical condition yesterday after trying to reach Britain from northern France in freezing temperatures, the French maritime authority said.

More than 30 people were rescued, the maritime prefecture said in a statement. The fatalities were the first reported migrant deaths on the Channel in 2024.

Authorities said four migrants died overnight, while a fifth body was found later on the beach. The group was attempting to reach a vessel off the resort town of Wimereux when their small boat got into difficulty around two am (0100 GMT), the maritime prefecture said.

The crew of a French tow vessel, the Abeille Normandie, went to the rescue and spotted “unconscious and lifeless people” in the water, an official said, estimating the water temperature at nine degrees Celsius. Along the Wimereux embankment an AFP journalist saw items of clothing and shoes abandoned by the migrants. The survivors were taken to a shelter in Calais.