Migrant boat carrying 50 capsizes in English Channel – at least 10 dead as rescue mission launched

At least 10 migrants are thought to be dead after a boat carrying them capsized while trying to cross the English Channel, a French coastguard spokesman has said.

A major operation is underway to rescue more than 50 people – with earlier coastguard reports putting the number of those in a “critical condition” at more than 10.

Emergency services were deployed at approximately 11.30am local time after the vessel flipped off the coast of Le Portel, on the outskirts of Boulogne-sur-Mer on France’s north coast.

Those on board are understood to have entered the water in the Channel after it got into difficulty off Cap Gris-Nez, to the north of Le Portel, earlier this morning.

Local media reported that “several people” had suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of the incident, while harbours and beaches nearby have been locked down as emergency services flocked to the scene.

The mayor of Le Portel, Olivier Barbarin, has shut beaches at the town’s hoverport to allow emergency helicopters to land nearby.

And France’s Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, is set to be making an appearance on the site later this afternoon, according to French broadcaster CNews.

While the Nord-Pas-de-Calais prefect, a regional state representative, is also on the way.

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The shocking capsize follows the news that some 7,000 small boat migrants have successfully crossed the English Channel since Labour’s election victory at the start of July.

The milestone was reached after 150 migrants made their way to Britain in just one morning on August 28.

It marked a spike in arrivals after a spate of poor weather prevented smugglers in France from launching the small vessels off the country’s coast for over a week.

More to follow…