Cindi Cook
27 October 2020•Update: 27 October 2020
PARIS
With rescue operations still underway, two children and two adults died after a boat carrying at least 20 migrants capsized off northern France early Tuesday, according to local media and officials.
The casualties from the sinking off the coast of Loon-Plage include a woman, a man, and a 5-year-old child, according to daily Voice of the North.
While the man had drowned, the woman and child were brought to shore but died after going into cardiac arrest. An 8-year-old child also died in hospital.
A total of 18 people have been rescued, including eight suffering hypothermia. They include Iraqi nationals and Kurdish Iranians.
All are currently being treated in hospitals in the nearby coastal cities of Calais and Dunkirk, roughly opposite Dover, England.
Two people remain missing, one reportedly an infant belonging to the deceased woman.
Firefighters and emergency medical services have been deployed to the scene, on both the docks and into the channel, along with French Navy helicopters.
According to Dunkirk Prosecutor Sebastian Pive, an investigation has been opened into the incident, and six of those rescued have been placed in police custody.
The town of Loon-Plage lies west of the city of Dunkirk on the northern coast.
More than 4,000 migrants have attempted to make the precarious crossing to southern England so far in 2020, with three people losing their lives.
