Lille:

A baby died when an overloaded migrant boat headed for Britain sank in the Channel off the coast of France on Thursday night, French maritime authorities said Friday.

The accident occurred off the French town of Wissant, the maritime authority in charge of the Channel and the North Sea told AFP, adding that 65 people were rescued but a “baby was found unconscious and sadly declared dead”.

The latest sinking brings the number of migrants who perished while trying to cross the Channel this year to at least 52 — a record since 2018.

On September 3, six children and an equal number of adults died. A month later, a two-year-old boy and three adults died after overloaded boats got into trouble during the dangerous crossing.

The number of migrants arriving in boats to Britain averaged 53 this year as opposed to 13 in 2020, according to official British figures.

Over 26,000 migrants have landed on British shores since January 1, according to UK Home Office figures.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Istanbul:

Twenty-one migrants including five children drowned after a boat capsized off the Turkish coast, local officials said on Friday.

The victims’ nationalities were not yet known. Officials said two people were rescued by the Turkish coastguard and another two managed to make it out of the water on their own.

The boat capsized off Turkey’s largest island, called Gokceada or Imbros, which is located in the Aegean Sea off the coast of the northwestern province of Canakkale.

“Security teams found the bodies of 21 people including five children,” local governor’s office said in a statement.

The search and rescue operation was backed by one plane, two helicopters, one drone, 18 boats and 502 personnel, it added.

Turkey is hosting nearly four million refugees, mostly Syrians.

Ankara struck a deal with the European Union in 2016 to curb the influx of refugees trying to reach the EU in return for financial assistance and other incentives.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jerusalem:

A rubber boat washed up on a beach in Israel on Sunday with no one on board, only what appeared to be the belongings of would-be migrants.

Israeli authorities said they found the dinghy along the Mediterranean coast near the city of Netanya with nothing but a messy pile of personal items, food, water, and travel documents, including three from Somalia.

Police said they were searching the waters nearby for signs of survivors and released a photograph of the boat. What looked like clothing, an air pump and several makeshift, inflatable lifebuoys were among the items that covered the boat’s floor.

The travel documents are still being investigated, the police said.

According to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, more than 187,000 people crossed the Mediterranean so far this year, and the group has recorded 2,093 deaths along the central Mediterranean route.

The migrants often make the perilous crossing in small, unstable boats. Many come from Africa, fleeing conflict or in search of a better life in Europe.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)