FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Three people have died off the coast of Calais while trying to cross the English Channel in an overcrowded migrant boat. French authorities say the victims were likely crushed under the boat due to the sheer number of people on board.
Initially, two of the dead were reported to be children, but authorities later confirmed that the victims were "young people," with the possibility that they were children. It is believed that they came from Egypt and Southeast Asia.
The boat, which was carrying more than 70 people, was the subject of a rescue operation by the French aid and rescue tug, Abeille Normandie, at around 05:00 local time. Of the 44 people rescued, three were declared dead and three others were transported to hospital. Authorities said around 28 people refused assistance and continued on their way to the United Kingdom.
In a separate incident, three people were reported missing after being on another boat near Neufchâtel-Hardelot. Meanwhile, a third boat carrying 115 people was rescued by the French Navy, with no injuries, but authorities said it was "probably the highest number ever recorded" for such a boat.
According to the latest data from the British Home Office, 674 migrants arrived at Dover on Tuesday in nine boats, while around 180 more crossed the border on Wednesday.
The tragedy comes just months after a new agreement between France and the UK to return migrants in a "one in, one out" system aimed at stemming the flow across the Channel. The agreement proposes that for every migrant returned to France, another with a strong case for asylum in Britain would be accepted by the British side.
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