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4 migrants die while attempting to cross the English Channel from northern France
PARIS (AP) — Four migrants have died while trying to cross the English Channel on an inflatable boat from France to the U.K., French authorities said Friday.
The migrants’ vessel capsized and punctured off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in northern France, the prefecture responsible for the region said in a statement. Sixty-three people were rescued by the French coast guard.
The prefecture said a French navy patrol boat spotted the overcrowded vessel early Friday as it deflated off the French coast. Several people were “drifting in the water while others were still clinging to the broken rubber dingy,” the statement said.
Navy vessels, a fishing boat and a Navy helicopter joined the effort. Survivors were brought to the shore in Boulogne to receive medical attention and temporary shelter, the statement also said.