Four migrants die attempting to cross English Channel: official

Paris, July 12 (IANS) Four migrants died early Friday morning while attempting to cross the English Channel, France’s maritime authorities for the Channel and North Sea said on its website.

At around 4:30 a.m. local time (2:30 GMT), a rescue vessel discovered a deflated boat carrying migrants nearby, with several people found in the water, according to the French maritime authorities.

With the assistance of a fishing boat and a French Navy helicopter, the rescue vessel successfully saved 56 people, but four others were confirmed dead, reported Xinhua news agency.

According to the French daily newspaper Le Parisien, at least 19 people have died trying to reach the United Kingdom from France since the beginning of the year.

–IANS

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