Three people, including a 10-year-old child, die after an inflatable dinghy carrying 105 people runs into trouble during a Channel crossing attempt from northern France toward the UK, French authorities say. Maritime police receive a distress call early on Monday, and initial reports indicate the vessel overturns.
Sources agree on the basic details: the boat is overcrowded, it is in distress off northern France, and dozens of people are reported injured. The outlets also report that the dead include two women and the child. Accounts differ in emphasis and in the description of how the fatalities occur, with some reporting the passengers are “crushed,” while others describe the incident more generally as an overturning/capsizing in calm seas before rescue is underway.
Rescue services are called after passengers ask for help, and injuries are reported among the survivors as authorities respond to the incident off the French coast.
