FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
At least 12 people have died after a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized in the English Channel
The one who confirmed the news was Olivier Barbarin, mayor of Le Portel, a French coastal town.
The French coastguard said more than 65 people had been rescued after a dinghy began to sink.
Local authorities said several people needed urgent treatment and a temporary medical post was set up at the port in Boulogne-sur-Mer, about 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Calais.
A spokesman for the French maritime prefecture said helicopters and boats were being used in the search for survivors.
Resources deployed included helicopters and ships from French customs and the navy, as well as ships from the SNSM, the French equivalent of the RNLI.
Another media outlet France 3 initially said that "at least 100 migrants" were on board at 11:30.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, posting on X, described the incident as "horrific", adding that "all government resources [have] been mobilized to find the missing and care for the victims." .
Le Portel is said to be where the ship launched.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the deaths as "appalling and deeply tragic".
"The gangs behind this horrific and heartless trade in human life have herded more and more people into increasingly unseaworthy dinghies, and sent them across the Channel in very bad weather," she said.
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