A small boat carrying immigrants has sunk in English Channel off the southeast coast of England in subzero temperatures, a tragedy that left at least three dead, according to government sources quoted by British media.
Local authorities mounted a search and rescue operation with lifeboats, helicopters and teams working in conjunction with the French and British navies to respond to an incident that occurred at around 3:40am.
british radio station LBC reported that 43 people had been rescuedand that “a small number” had died. skynews said at least three people had died.
“We are aware of an incident in UK waters and all relevant agencies are supporting a coordinated response,” a government spokesman said. “Further details will be provided in due course.”
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The northern authorities France They also indicated that it was sent to a navy patrol boat as reinforcement.
“A fishing boat that was in the area is also involved in the rescue,” added the British coastguard.
Likewise, the local ambulance service claimed to have been contacted by the coast guard around 03:40 (local and GMT) to keep them alert.
The term “small boat” is often used for boats with migrants trying to cross the English Channel to the United Kingdom.
Temperatures have dropped across Britain in the past week, bringing snowfall to some parts of the country. The temperature was recorded at 2 degrees Celsius in a nearby town on Wednesday morning.
Despite the frigid temperatures, More than 500 migrants have made the perilous journey in small boats since the weekend alone. The people traffickers who organize the crossings take advantage of the light winds and calm seas.
In so far this year, more than 43,000 immigrants have crossed the English Channelquite a record.
One third of all arrivals almost 13,000 have been Albanians.
The incident on Wednesday came a day after the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunakwill announce a new agreement with Albania to stop the flow of migrants crossing the Channel from continental Europe.
Under the agreement, Albanians arriving by boat through the Canal will be immediately returned to their country of origin.
At least 205 migrants have died or disappeared crossing the English Channel since 2014according to the UN Missing Migrants Project.
(With information from AFP and Reuters)
Source-www.infobae.com