British PM Concerned after 4 Migrants Killed in English Channel

At least four people passed away when a small boat packed with migrants capsized in freezing temperatures in the English Channel overnight, the UK announced on Wednesday.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak voiced concerns over the incident as he tries to tighten rules to prevent record numbers of migrants from attempting the crossing. He called it a "tragic loss of human life.”

Earlier, British media pointed out that 43 people were rescued, including over 30 who had fallen overboard, adding that the death toll would rise.

Migrants have been intercepted regularly in the Channel in recent years, using small boats ill-suited for trips on the open sea.

On 24 November 2021, more than 27 people drowned while attempting to cross the Channel in a dinghy.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that 205 migrants have been recorded as missing in the Channel since 2014.

Nikolai Posner, from the Utopia 56 group that's helping migrants in northern France, indicated that it received a voice message and location notification from a boat in distress at 2:53 a.m. local time (8:53 p.m. Eastern).

"We forwarded it to the French and British coastguard by phone. At 3:40 a.m., the French coastguard told us the British were handling it," Posner told AFP. "The location that was sent to us was in French waters. At 2:59 a.m. the person who contacted us was no longer receiving messages on WhatsApp."