A baby has died after a boat carrying migrants ran into difficulties in the Channel, French authorities have said.
A total of 65 people were rescued after the migrant boat got into difficulty off the coast of Wissant in northern France on Thursday evening.
The boat was found to be heavily loaded with people and some migrants were in the water when the rescue team arrived, the maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea said.
A French navy patrol boat and a helicopter were used in the recovery operation.
The team put their rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) in the water and began recovering the people in difficulty, the maritime prefect added.
During the rescue operation an unconscious baby was retrieved from the water and transferred to the Abeille Normandie – an assistance and rescue intervention tug.
The baby was later declared dead by a doctor.
The 65 migrants and the deceased baby were taken to a port in the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The maritime prefect has said weather conditions are often difficult in the area where the boat got into trouble and it is a “particularly dangerous sector” even when the “sea seems beautiful”.
Authorities said searches are ongoing to find any more missing people.
An investigation has been launched by the public prosecutor’s office in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
