At least three dead in migrant boat accident in English Channel

London, Dec 14 (EFE) – At least three people have died and more than 30 have been rescued in the English Channel after a small boat capsized off the coast of Kent in southeast England, the UK government confirmed Wednesday.

The small boat was carrying between 30 and 50 migrants, according to members of the rescue operation cited by local media, and encountered issues while crossing the Channel, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, before capsizing on Wednesday morning.

According to the BBC, 43 people have been saved, more than 30 of whom were rescued from the waters of the Channel amid freezing temperatures.

The incident triggered an extensive search and rescue operation involving the UK Coastguard, the UK Navy, the Border Force and Kent County Police.

Vessels from the English towns of Dungeness, Hastings and Ramsgate and two coastguard helicopters were also assisting in the search and rescue.

“I am aware of a distressing incident in the Channel this morning and I am being kept constantly updated while agencies respond and urgently establish the full facts,” home secretary Suella Braverman said in a statement on Twitter.

The event comes just a day after prime minister Rishi Sunak unveiled a new plan Tuesday in the House of Commons to tackle irregular migration to the UK, with new measures intended to “stop the boats” carrying undocumented migrants across the Channel. EFE

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