Home secretary pledges action after latest Channel deaths

THE deaths of four migrants in the English Channel are “truly awful”, the Home Secretary has said.

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Four people died after their boat capsized off the northern French coast near Boulogne-sur-Mer, where several people were reported as being in the water at around 4.30am on Friday morning.

According to the French coastguard, 63 migrants were rescued in an operation involving four ships and one helicopter, including a fishing vessel which picked up 14 of the people who got into trouble.

A further four people were taken by a medical team but could not be saved, the maritime prefecture added. The surviving group of people were returned to Boulogne and attended to by emergency services.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on X, formerly Twitter: “The further loss of life in the Channel this morning is truly awful.

“My thoughts are with all those affected. Criminal gangs are making vast profit from putting lives at risk.

“We are accelerating action with international partners to pursue & bring down dangerous smuggler gangs.”