French authorities say 4 people have died trying to cross the Channel

PARIS (AP) — Four people have died in two separate attempts to cross the English Channel on small boats, French authorities said on Thursday.

Three people were recovered near Dunkirk after a boat was reported around 6 a.m. and rescue teams were deployed, the maritime prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea said. They were taken off the boat and brought ashore, where their deaths were confirmed.

In a separate incident, a small boat capsized off Hardelot, on France’s north west coast, late on Wednesday, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said.

“The provisional toll is one man, estimated to be between 30 and 40 years old, deceased, and six people with minor injuries, including a one-year-old child, who were treated by emergency services,” the prefecture said.

A judicial investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the incident.

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