A MIGRANT has been airlifted to hospital from the English Channel after a boat carrying around 40 people began to sink.
The boat is believed to have begun taking on water as it headed for the UK on Thursday morning.
The rescue operation, involving French and Belgian air and sea units, is ongoing, authorities in France say.
Following days of bad weather in the Dover Strait, lighter conditions on Thursday have seen a flurry of crossing attempts.
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The latest bids to reach the UK come after French authorities intercepted at least 108 people trying to cross the Channel on Wednesday, with one person having to be airlifted to hospital in Dunkirk.
The dangerous sea journey from France – made by more than 10,000 people including children so far in 2021 – has claimed many lives in the past.
Among them were Rasoul Iran-Nejad and his wife Shiva Mohammad Panahi, who died along with their three children when their boat capsized on October 27, 2020.
Their 15-month-old son Artin was reported missing following the tragedy and it was not until June this year that police confirmed a body found on the Norwegian coast was that of the young boy.
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