A boat transporting asylum seekers capsized in the English Channel, killing six people.
Following a coordinated operation by the British and French coastguards, 51 persons have been saved.
Although the severity of the other injuries is unknown, several individuals were observed being carried off a lifeboat at Dover, Kent, on stretchers.
The RNLI reported that a lifeboat crew launched immediately before 4:00 BST.
According to France’s Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea, up to six persons were transported by helicopter to a hospital in Calais, where one person was later declared dead.
According to a local prosecutor who spoke to AFP news agency, the first casualty was an Afghan male between the ages of 25 and 30.
According to a volunteer on board, migrants were using their shoes to bale water out of the sinking boat.
There were too many people on the boat, Anne Thorel remarked in reference to her group’s 54 lifesaving efforts that included one woman.
15,826 persons had used a small boat to cross the Channel as of August 10.
It is expected that Suella Braverman, the home secretary, will preside over a meeting with Border Force representatives.
This morning, Ms. Braverman will meet with Small Boats Operational Command Gold.
Her ‘thoughts and prayers’ were with the people impacted by the tragedy in the Channel, she continued.
According to a spokeswoman for the UK government, “We are aware of an incident in the Channel.” A coordinated response is being developed by HM Coastguard, and more details will be given as soon as possible.
In addition to Folkestone and Langdon Bay coastguard rescue teams, the Dover Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crew and South East Coast Ambulance have been dispatched to assist.
Natalie Elphicke, a Dover MP, stated that the episode demonstrated the necessity for combined patrols on the French coast.
The French authorities should, she argued, “clearly” prevent these crammed-to-capacity death traps from ever leaving the French shore.
The Refugee Council’s chief executive, Enver Solomon, hailed the rescues for their efforts while pleading with the UK government to create a “orderly and humane asylum system.”
Stephen Kinnock, a shadow immigration minister, called the most recent occurrence “an appalling, deeply shocking tragedy.”
“We need to halt these crossings and take down the nefarious people smugglers.”
He stated on Twitter that “there can be no more headline-chasing gimmicks or madcap schemes that just make everything worse.”
The prosecutor’s office in Boulogne has started an inquiry.