Tragedy as baby dies after overloaded migrant boat heading for UK sinks in the English Channel off coast of France

A BABY has died after an overloaded migrant boat heading for Britain sank in the Channel.

The tragedy happened on Thursday night off the coast of France, the country's maritime authorities have said.

Sixty five people were rescued from the boat but the baby was found "unconscious and sadly declared dead", officials confirmed.

The sinking occurred 12 miles off the French town of Wissant in the Pas-de-Calais region.

Authorities said searches are ongoing to find any more missing people.

An investigation has been launched by the public prosecutor’s office in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Rescue boats from the French navy and coastguard as well as a Belgian helicopter were involved.

But once the dinghy was spotted, it was discovered some people were in the water.

65 people were taken on board one of the vessels the Abeille Normandie as searches continued.

But during the search operation by the crew of the rescue boat Minck the infant was discovered.

The baby was taken on board the Abeille but despite efforts to save the unidentified youngster French medics sadly declared the child dead.

The French Prefecture Maritime covering the English Channel and North Sea said: "Once on site, the resources found that the boat, which was very loaded, was in difficulty and that some of the people were in the water.

"The mediums then put their semi-rigid boats in the water and began the recovery of people in difficulty.

"The Abeille Normandie picked up 65 people on board.

"At the same time, searches are being carried out to look for potential shipwrecks at sea.

"During this search, the Minck located and recovered an unconscious infant who was transferred aboard the Abeille Normandie.

"The paramedics of the helicopter were winched aboard the Abeille.

"The CROSS Gris-Nez then set up a conference call with the Samu de Coordination Médicale Maritime (SCMM) of Le Havre and the paramedical team on board the Abeille to assess the situation.

"The latter was declared dead by the regulating doctor."

£1,000-A-HEAD PASSAGE

The boat is thought to have been organised by people smugglers charging up to £1000-a-head for an illegal passage from France to the UK.

It brings the number of migrants to die while crossing the Channel since the beginning of the year to at least 52.

This compares to 13 in 2020, according to British figures.

It comes after a toddler was "trampled" to death and three adults died when overcrowded dinghies tried to make the same crossing on October 5.

According to the Boulogne-Sur-Mer prosecutor, Guirec Le Bras, the baby boy was born in Germany to a Somali mother.

A person in the same vessel suffered burns to their legs and was airlifted to hospital, said Mr Billant, while the remaining passengers continued their journey to England.

While eight migrants died and six were taken to hospital, including a 10-month-old baby, during one incident in September.

"Three people – two men and a woman – were then discovered unconscious," Mr Billant said, adding: "They were trampled to death during the stampede."

That tragedy came hours after Mafia-style crackdown plans were revealed by the UK Government.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said of the earlier tragedies: "Our government will intensify the fight against these mafias who are getting rich by organising these crossings of death."

In April, a criminal enquiry was also launched following the deaths of five migrants including a little girl around Wimereux.

Five migrants also drowned while trying to get to Britain from Wimereux beach on January 14.

The furious Mayor of Wimereux has frequently argued that such tragedies are all the fault of the British.

Jean-Luc Dubaele said in April: "It is Britain that is responsible for the boats setting off across the English Channel and the deaths that occur in the sea.

"The English pay us to stop the boats setting off but they look after the migrants when they arrive on their shores.

"The English give them accommodation, food, a bank account, and let them work without regulation."

The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK –  the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.

Last year, there were 67,337 asylum applications to the UK, and 29,437 of them came from people who arrived in small boats.

Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged this summer to "strengthen cooperation" to fight the people smugglers.

The Home Office estimates over 26,000 migrants have arrived in Britain since January 1.

MAFIA BLUEPRINT

A Labour source said in September Sir Keir would use Italy's success in cracking down on the Mafia as a blueprint to take on the people-smuggling mobs.

They said: “Our Border Security Command will pursue illicit finance, dismantle supply chain networks and take down the crime bosses making millions out of small boat crossings.

“We know Italy has had great success tackling organised crime gangs, including the Mafia.

"And we want to learn from the work they have done at home and abroad, so we can take down the awful criminal smuggling mob blighting our waters.”

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