At least three migrants drown trying to reach UK from France

At least three migrants died early on Sunday while attempting to cross the English Channel to the UK from northern France, authorities said.

Transcript

00:00At least three migrants died while attempting to cross the English Channel to the UK from

00:06northern France, according to local authorities.

00:09The prefecture described the attempted crossings as difficult, with around 50 people stranded

00:14in the water and on the beach.

00:17Three unconscious people were pulled from the water, but could not be revived despite

00:21efforts by medical teams.

00:23It's a very, very heavy year, because we can easily say that we are passing 80 deaths

00:30just on the crossings, I dare say that we will not reach 100 before the end of the year.

00:37The tragedy comes during a spike in channel crossing attempts as 2024 draws to a close.

00:44This year has been one of the deadliest for migrants attempting the perilous journey between

00:48France and England, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

00:52Despite efforts to stop it, the route remains a major smuggling corridor for people fleeing

00:56conflict and poverty.