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Migrant boat capsizes in English Channel; at least 31 dead

French police officers patrol on the beach in the searcher migrants in Wimereux, northern France, Wednesday, Nov.17, 2021. Several migrants died and others were injured Wednesday Nov.24, 2021 when their boat capsized off Calais in the English Channel as they tried to cross from France to Britain, authorities said. British and French authorities were searching the area using helicopters and coast guard vessels, according to the French maritime agency for the region. (AP Photo/Louis Witter, File)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

CALAIS, France (AP) — At least 31 migrants bound for Britain died when their boat sank in the English Channel, in what France’s interior minister called the biggest tragedy involving migrants on the dangerous crossing to date.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 34 people were believed to have been on the boat.

Authorities found 31 bodies and two survivors, and one person appeared to still be missing.

According to the Associated Press, the bodies found included five women and a young girl.

The nationalities of the travelers were not immediately known.

Four suspected traffickers were arrested on suspicion of being linked to the sunken boat, Darmanin told reporters in the French port city of Calais.

Two of the suspects later appeared in court, the news outlet reported.

Activists demonstrated outside the port of Calais on Wednesday night, accusing governments of not doing enough to respond to migrants’ needs.

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