At least three dead after boat crashes in English Channel
Created: 12/14/2022, 12:32 p.m
By: Daniel Dillman
A boat carrying suspected migrants in distress arrives in Dungeness, UK.
Another boat accident is said to have happened in the English Channel.
© Gareth Fuller/dpa
Another boat accident occurs in the English Channel between Great Britain and France.
The search for more victims is ongoing.
At least three people are said to have died in a boat accident in the English Channel.
This is reported by the British news agency
PA
, citing British media.
The British Navy is said to have managed to save 43 people who were on the boat.
According to information from the British TV broadcaster
Sky News
, there were around 30 to 50 migrants on the boat that got into distress in the English Channel in the early hours of the morning.
The broadcaster reports this, citing a French source.
Pictures released by the TV station show people climbing out of an overcrowded black rubber dinghy onto a lifeboat in the dark.
Boat accident in the English Channel: Great Britain leads rescue mission
The British Coast Guard coordinated a search and rescue mission in the English Channel on Wednesday together with France and units from the military, police and border guards.
Two helicopters and lifeboats flying the British and French flags are said to have been involved in the operation.
It is not yet clear why the boat crashed.
The search for missing people in the English Channel will continue for the rest of the day,
Sky News
reported , citing inside sources.
Due to the very low temperatures in the strait in winter - in the past few nights they have fallen to minus degrees in the region - one no longer expects to find survivors of the boat accident.
So the number of dead could still increase.
Great Britain: Boat accident in the English Channel becomes a political issue for Sunak
About a year ago, around 30 people died in a boat accident in the English Channel.
Most recently, many thousands of migrants made the dangerous crossing towards the United Kingdom.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak only published plans on Tuesday to take tougher action against illegal migration.
These plans are met with criticism, especially from the British opposition.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, known for her radical stance on migration, wrote on Twitter that her thoughts are with everyone affected.
She will be kept informed of the "devastating incident" and the authorities are in the process of clarifying the situation.
At noon, the conservative politician wanted to comment on the accident in the lower house.
(dil/dpa)
