Baby dies, 65 rescued after migrant boat sinks during English Channel crossing attempt

French maritime authorities said on Friday a baby died and 65 people had to be rescued when a migrant boat sank as it attempted to cross the English Channel toward Britain.

Late on Thursday, French rescuers noticed the overloaded boat was in trouble and that several people were in the sea. Rescuers used semi-rigid boats to take them out of the water and saved 65 people, France's maritime authorities said in a statement.

Searchers later found an unconscious baby who was declared dead by a doctor, the statement said.

The rescued migrants were brought back to the French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer to be handled by health care services and the border police.

A series of shipwrecks has made 2024 the deadliest year in recent times for the English Channel. Four migrants, including a 2-year-old child, died earlier this month in two separate incidents in similar crossing attempts.

Last month, at least 20 migrants died in several shipwrecks in the Channel.