Pregnant woman among 12 dead after boat carrying migrants capsizes in English Channel (2024)

Summary

At least 12 people have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the French coast in the English Channel
Ten of those who died were female, including a pregnant woman, and six were minors, officials say
More than 50 people have been rescued, according to the French coastguard, with many receiving treatment in Boulogne-sur-Mer
It is the deadliest disaster this year in the Channel, which is the world's busiest shipping lane
Downing Street said the news was "truly horrific" and it was determined to clamp down on people smuggling gangs who are "taking even more dangerous risks"
More than 20,000 people have made the crossing from France to the UK so far this year

Live Reporting

Edited by Francesca Gillett

Minors among 12 killed in deadliest Channel disaster this yearpublished at 20:57 British Summer Time 3 September
20:57 BST 3 September
We're closing our live coverage shortly, but we've got a story with everything we know here.
The latest from the French authorities is that at least 12 people are dead, after a small boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel this morning.
Rescue boats and helicopters were scrambled as part of a huge operation, with people taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer for medical care.
Local officials say the 12 who died were "primarily of Eritrean origin", although their nationalities haven't been confirmed. The 12 also included six minors and 10 were female. One of the women was also pregnant.
More than 50 people were rescued, said French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin who visited the scene on Tuesday afternoon.
Refugee charities say it shows the UK needs more safe and legal routes to the UK for asylum seekers, while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper reiterated her plan to clamp down on people smuggling gangs.
Latest pictures from Boulogne-sur-Merpublished at 20:39 British Summer Time 3 September
20:39 BST 3 September
Photos have been continuing to come in from the port city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where a rescue operation has been taking place all afternoon. Here are some of the latest images:
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Reuters
Migrants seen arriving in Dover today - after more than 350 crossed yesterdaypublished at 20:20 British Summer Time 3 September
20:20 BST 3 September
Image source, PA Media
When weather conditions are relatively calm, hundreds of migrants attempt to cross the Channel each day.
Yesterday, despite some choppy conditions at sea, 351 people in six boats were brought to Dover after reaching UK waters.
According to Home Office figures,, external no crossings were recorded on the two days before that - but on 30 August more than 400 migrants crossed in nine boats, while on 29 August some 211 people arrived.
The English Channel is one of the most dangerous and busiest shipping lanes in the world.
More safe routes urgently needed, refugee charities saypublished at 20:00 British Summer Time 3 September
20:00 BST 3 September
We've got some reaction now from charities that provide support for refugees.
Steve Smith, Care4Calais chief executive, says: "One life lost in the Channel is too much, but this year these tragedies have occurred with much more frequency and that is a deeply worrying trend that needs to be stopped."
He says these have been "avoidable tragedies" and criticises an "obsession" with improving security measures, calling instead for safe routes to be made available.
"It’s time politicians were held accountable for their choice to dehumanise people seeking sanctuary from horrors back home," he adds.
The British Red Cross's UK director for refugee support, Alex Fraser, says: “Nobody risks their life travelling across the Channel in a small boat unless they feel they have no other choice."
Fraser says more safe routes are "urgently needed".
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What we know so farpublished at 19:43 British Summer Time 3 September
19:43 BST 3 September
Image source, Reuters
- At least 12 people have died after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel. This figure includes six minors and 10 females, Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor, Guirec Le Bras, said
- A pregnant woman was also among those who died, the mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Frédéric Cuvillier, told the BBC
- More than 50 people have been rescued, authorities confirmed. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said two are in a critical condition
- He added that 70 people were crammed onto a small boat measuring less than seven metres, and that fewer than eight had life jackets on
- The French coastguard was first made aware that a boat was sinking late on Tuesday morning off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez, south-west of Calais
Stay with us for more.
Two of those rescued in critical condition, says ministerpublished at 19:20 British Summer Time 3 September
19:20 BST 3 September
Andrew Harding
Reporting from Boulogne-sur-Mer
More details are coming in now from French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
He says 51 people were rescued from the boat, including two who are in a critical condition.
The boat was overloaded, and fewer than eight people had life jackets on, Darmanin tells reporters.
Deaths include six minors and 10 females, prosecutor sayspublished at 19:06 British Summer Time 3 September
19:06 BST 3 SeptemberBreaking
Andrew Harding
Reporting from Boulogne-sur-Mer
We can bring you more detail now from Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor, Guirec Le Bras.
During a news conference earlier, he confirmed at least 12 people died - including six minors and 10 females.
He added that those killed were "primarily of Eritrean origin", but that officials "do not have consolidated details that would allow us to specify the exact nationalities".
Pregnant woman among those who died, says officialpublished at 18:40 British Summer Time 3 September
18:40 BST 3 SeptemberBreaking
Andrew Harding
Reporting from Boulogne-sur-Mer
A pregnant woman was among the 12 people who died after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel, the mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Frédéric Cuvillier, tells the BBC.
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed that those killed in the incident included "about 10 women, some of whom were minors".
We'll bring you more detail as we get it.
Quality of boats getting worse, says UK asylum ministerpublished at 18:24 British Summer Time 3 September
18:24 BST 3 September
We've been learning more details about the large rubber dinghy that capsized earlier, which the French interior minister said was seven-metres long and overloaded.
The UK's border security and asylum minister, Dame Angela Eagle, says there's a "worrying trend" that boats are being filled with more people than in the past.
The quality of boats is also "deteriorating", she says, meaning "these crossings are getting more and more dangerous as time goes on".
In response to charities calling on the government to open more safe and legal routes for asylum, she says: “There are safe and legal routes, and have been for a while, into this country" - but there are more people who want to come than safe routes.
Part of rubber dinghy broke uppublished at 18:12 British Summer Time 3 September
18:12 BST 3 September
Hugh Schofield
Paris correspondent
In sadly now-familiar circ*mstances, the boat proved unfit for the task.
The large rubber dinghy began breaking up and by the time rescuevessels were at the scene mid-morning, all those who’d been on board were inthe water.
In a major operation, they were brought to shore by boat andhelicopter. Just outside Boulogne-sur-Mer, an emergency centre was set up toprovide medical treatment for those less badly injured. Others were taken tohospital.
France’s interior minister Gérald Darmanin came to Boulogne thisafternoon to offer condolences to the bereaved and thanks to the emergencyservices.
Tracking the rescue operationpublished at 17:48 British Summer Time 3 September
17:48 BST 3 September
By Joshua Cheetham, BBC Verify
BBC Verify has beenmonitoring a ship-tracking website, MarineTraffic, to try to find out moreabout the rescue effort.
It appears to havebeen a very busy day in the Channel, with lots of activity consistent withrescue and recovery operations.
Based on details given by French authorities, it appears that rescue efforts began justafter 08:40 GMT.
Around this time,MarineTraffic shows a recovery ship, called the Minck, veering from its coursenear the Cap Griz-Nez.
It steers north andstays in an area about 5km from the coast. At around 09:30 GMT, it is joined bytwo fishing vessels, La Bretonne and the Murex, and at 09:35 by anotherFrench-flagged vessel, AX DFP1.
The ships then sailnorth and meet with a French search and rescue speedboat, the PDT JacquesLebrun, and are then joined by a French warship. Soon afterwards, all vesselsexcept the warship sail south and dock in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Many on board were women from Horn of Africa, says French ministerpublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 3 September
17:30 BST 3 September
More now from the French interior minister. He says a migration treaty is needed between the UK and the EU, adding: "We really do need to work together to stop these things happening."
Darmanin says that most of the people who died were women, including some minors. Many on board came from the Horn of Africa region, he says.
In February, under the previous government, the UK signed a new deal with the EU's border agency to work more closely together and share information to stop small boats crossing.
About 70 people were crammed onto seven metre boat, says French interior ministerpublished at 17:26 British Summer Time 3 September
17:26 BST 3 September
Image source, Reuters
We've just been hearing from French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin who is speaking to reporters in Boulogne-sur-Mer – his words have been translated.
He says 70 people were crammed onto a small boat measuring less than seven metres - and that overloaded boats can go down "very, very quickly" and that's why so many people die in incidents such as these.
He says the UK's payments to the French government to prevent these incidents covered only "a third of what we are spending", and that they have to "re-establish" relations with the UK and its government.
No 10: This is a tragic reminder of the callous criminal gangspublished at 17:17 British Summer Time 3 September
17:17 BST 3 September
Harry Farley
Political correspondent
The incident in the Channel is "truly horrific", DowningStreet says, adding people smuggling gangs are taking "ever more dangerousrisks" to smuggle people in boats.
The prime minister’s deputy spokesperson says Keir Starmer’sthoughts are with all those affected.
Downing Street insists it has already taken action totarget the criminal gangs by recruiting more officers to the National CrimeAgency and setting up the government’s Border Security Command.
“It is yet a further tragic reminder of the danger of thesecrossings and the callousness of the criminal gangs who we are determined toclamp down on," the No 10 spokeswoman says.
She adds it's a "ruthless criminal enterprise" and the prime minister is determined to use "some of the same tactics" that have been usedto clamp down on international terrorist gangs.
UK must open more safe routes for asylum seekers, says refugee charitypublished at 17:12 British Summer Time 3 September
17:12 BST 3 September
The head of the Refugee Council says it is "heartbroken" by the latest deaths - and calls on the UK government to open more safe routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK.
The UK has a number of "safe and legal" ways to claim asylum in the UK - but many are restricted to people from specific countries or only accept limited numbers.
"In addition to taking action against the criminal gangs themselves, the government must develop a plan to improve and expand safe routes for those seeking safety," the charity's CEO Enver Solomon says.
"People risk their lives out of desperation, fleeing violence and persecution... we must create effective and humane pathways for those seeking refuge to reduce the need for dangerous crossings and prevent further tragedies."
How many people cross the Channel in small boats?published at 16:52 British Summer Time 3 September
16:52 BST 3 September
As at 2 September, 21,403 people had crossed the Channel in 2024. That's more than in the same period in the previous year, but fewer than in 2022, as we delve into here.
The number of people who crossed in 2022 - 45,755 - was the highest since figures were first collected in 2018.
In the year ending June 2024, Afghans were the top nationality crossing the Channel, making up just under a fifth of all small boat arrivals. Iranians (13%) were in second place.
About 83% of small boat arrivals in the 12 months to June 2024 were male and - where age was recorded - more than 40% were between 25 and 39 years old.
Local mayor praises emergency services after 'real tragedy'published at 16:39 British Summer Time 3 September
16:39 BST 3 September
Today's events were a "real tragedy", says Olivier Barbarin, mayor of the coastal town of Le Portel, near where the rescue operation is taking place.
There were men, women and children aboard the boat, he says in a Facebook post, calling the death toll "catastrophic".
"I want to salute the commitment and action of the rescuers and emergency forces because the catastrophe could have been even more tragic," he adds.
Where the boat capsizedpublished at 16:30 British Summer Time 3 September
16:30 BST 3 September
The small boat was reported in distress off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez, in the Pas-de-Calais department of north-west France.
Survivors have been taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer, further south along the coast, for treatment.
Horrifying and tragic incident, says UK home secretarypublished at 16:14 British Summer Time 3 September
16:14 BST 3 SeptemberBreaking
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says today's Channel disaster is a "horrifying and deeply tragic incident".
Cooper says she is being kept updated on the situation and pays tribute to the French rescue teams "who undoubtedly saved many lives, but sadly could not save everyone".
"The gangs behind this appalling and callous trade in human lives have been cramming more and more people onto increasingly unseaworthy dinghies, and sending them out into the Channel even in very poor weather.
"They do not care about anything but the profits they make, and that is why - as well as mourning the awful loss of life - the work to dismantle these dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs and to strengthen border security is so vital and must proceed apace," she adds.
Image source, PA Media
UK coastguard not involved in rescue operationpublished at 15:47 British Summer Time 3 September
15:47 BST 3 September
The UK Coastguard says it has not been involved in the major operation off the coast of France today.
“HM Coastguard received a report of a small boat in difficulty in the English Channel, in French waters north of Boulogne, at about 6.50am on 3 September," a Maritime Coastguard Agency spokesperson says.
"The response was coordinated by French authorities. Assistance offered by HM Coastguard was not required," they add.