London: A report from French authorities, an overloaded boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel early on Saturday morning, killing at least six people and requiring the rescue of more than 50 others.

According to the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea, two people may still be missing at sea out of the estimated 65 passengers who boarded the boat.

Six people were initially in critical condition when rescuers pulled victims from the water. One of them, who was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Calais, was determined to be dead, and the other five later passed away while being transported to land.

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French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne posted on social media that a migrant boat capsized this morning off the coast of Calais. "My heart goes out to the victims,"

The deaths occur as the ruling Conservative party in Britain has attempted to stop migrant boat crossings with a number of policies that have drawn criticism for failing to stop the flow of migrants.

Since Thursday, when the weather started to get warmer, French authorities have noticed a noticeable increase in attempts to cross from the coast. The highest daily total this year, according to British authorities, was 755 people who crossed the channel in small boats on Thursday.

The number of small boat arrivals is 15% lower than it was at this time last year. In comparison to 18,600 at this time last year, 15,826 had been discovered as of Thursday.

Five migrants attempted to cross from France's northern coast last year, and four were reported missing. 27 people perished when a boat carrying migrants capsized in November 2021.

Suella Braverman, the UK home secretary, met with Border Force representatives on Saturday after stating on platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that there had been a "tragic loss of life."

A spokesperson for Braverman said in a statement, "This incident is sadly yet another reminder of the extreme dangers of crossing the Channel in small boats and how crucial it is that we break the business model of the people smugglers and stop the boats."

The political platform of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made "stop the boats" a rallying cry, but his initiatives have encountered resistance.

Legislation that would send refugees who enter the country illegally back to their home country or a safe third country is the cornerstone of policies intended to discourage people from risking their lives at sea. However, a court of appeals rejected the idea of flying people to Rwanda, and the Supreme Court is now appealing the decision.

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As the Conservatives began what they called "small boats week," they welcomed the first group of asylum seekers who arrived on Monday to live in what amounted to a floating dormitory moored off the south coast of England.

The barge Bibby Stockholm, which had previously housed oil rig workers, was rented in an effort to reduce the $7.6 million (or 6 million pounds) per day that was spent on lodging for the estimated 51,000 asylum seekers.

Although it was designed to house 500 men, the first 39 who boarded were forced to leave on Friday after the water tested positive for the deadly bacteria that causes legionnaires' disease. No one onboard, according to the Home Office, has fallen ill.
Sunak's policies have drawn harsh criticism from the opposition Labour Party and refugee aid organisations, but even his fellow Conservatives have heaped scorn on the disastrous barge project.
David Davis, a member of parliament, pointed out that even if the barge operated as intended, it would only be able to accommodate new arrivals for a single day.

The primary thing that’s been revealed has been the startling incompetence of the Home Office itself,” Davis told BBC Radio 4. "It’s really, really hard to understand how, at all layers, this could not be caught early.

Steve Smith, chief executive of refugee charity Care4Calais, called the deaths an appalling tragedy that could have been prevented if the U.K. allowed people to apply for asylum in France and travel safely to Britain.

“This terrible loss of life demonstrates yet again the need for a system of safe passage to the UK for refugees," Smith said. “It would put the people smugglers out of business overnight."

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A search and rescue operation involving British and French vessels took place on Saturday after a patrol boat received a report about a migrant boat in distress close to Sangatte, France. In addition to two British ships, the search team also included three French ships, a helicopter, and a plane.

A French boat transported thirty-two people to the port of Calais, and a U.K. rescue team transported at least twenty two people to Dover.

Investigators from the Boulogne prosecutor's office are looking into the incident