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Search for migrants in freezing Channel

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A major search and rescue operation is continuing in the dark and cold waters of the English Channel, after at least four people died and 39 others were rescued when their small migrant boat capsized.

The operation involving helicopters and lifeboats was launched at around 3am on Wednesday, with some survivors now "fighting for their lives" in hospital.

The boat was carrying up to 50 people - including, it is believed, women and children - when it ran into difficulties.

WARNING: This story contains an image of dead person in the water

Accounts of how the tragedy unfolded have been emerging, as a British fisherman whose crew saved 31 people told Sky News he was woken in the early hours of the morning when migrants surrounded his boat "screaming for help" - and a French charity say they received a mayday call.

'Help us, help us', man says in voice note

Skipper Raymond said he then counted 45 people holding onto the collapsed dinghy and surrounding his fishing boat.

Exclusive footage obtained by Sky News shows the moment of the rescue - with scores of people crammed into the small rubber boat shouting for help, as they are pulled to safety by a crew on board a nearby fishing vessel.

He said those he rescued came from Afghanistan, Iraq, Senegal and India, and told him they had each paid £5,000 to a smuggler in France for passage into the UK.

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And a French charity which helps migrants in Calais said it received a 22-second WhatsApp voice note at 2.53am from a man on a sinking migrant boat begging for help as babies screamed in the background.

The man said people were in the seawater which had entered the vessel and begged the charity to "help us, help us", according to Nikolai Posner, a spokesman for the Utopia 56 charity.

Some survivors still 'fighting for their lives'

The charity said the man had also sent the location of the boat. Utopia 56 tried to respond and did not receive an answer and called the French coastguard at 2.57am French time and then emailed the French and British coastguard at 3.13am.

Mr Posner said it first informed the French coastguard because "the first location that we had was in French waters."

The Royal Navy, French navy, Coastguard and RNLI lifeboats were all involved in a major rescue operation off the Kent coast on Wednesday morning.

RNLI lifeboats were launched from Dover at 3.07am, followed by more from Ramsgate and Hastings.

A Kent MP, Sir Roger Gale told the Commons that some of those rescued were still "fighting for their lives".

Temperature overnight between zero 0C and 1C

Searches will continue, but at this stage more are feared dead given the freezing conditions of the water, a source told Sky News.

The temperature recorded at Dungeness overnight was between 0C and 1C, according to the Met Office.

British Red Cross director of refugee support Alex Fraser said anyone making the journey under these circumstances "shows just how desperate people are".


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A major search and rescue operation is continuing in the dark and cold waters of the English Channel, after at least four people died and 39 others were rescued when their small migrant boat capsized.

The operation involving helicopters and lifeboats was launched at around 3am on Wednesday, with some survivors now "fighting for their lives" in hospital.

The boat was carrying up to 50 people - including, it is believed, women and children - when it ran into difficulties.

WARNING: This story contains an image of dead person in the water

Accounts of how the tragedy unfolded have been emerging, as a British fisherman whose crew saved 31 people told Sky News he was woken in the early hours of the morning when migrants surrounded his boat "screaming for help" - and a French charity say they received a mayday call.

'Help us, help us', man says in voice note

Skipper Raymond said he then counted 45 people holding onto the collapsed dinghy and surrounding his fishing boat.

Exclusive footage obtained by Sky News shows the moment of the rescue - with scores of people crammed into the small rubber boat shouting for help, as they are pulled to safety by a crew on board a nearby fishing vessel.

He said those he rescued came from Afghanistan, Iraq, Senegal and India, and told him they had each paid £5,000 to a smuggler in France for passage into the UK.

Advertisement

And a French charity which helps migrants in Calais said it received a 22-second WhatsApp voice note at 2.53am from a man on a sinking migrant boat begging for help as babies screamed in the background.

The man said people were in the seawater which had entered the vessel and begged the charity to "help us, help us", according to Nikolai Posner, a spokesman for the Utopia 56 charity.

Some survivors still 'fighting for their lives'

The charity said the man had also sent the location of the boat. Utopia 56 tried to respond and did not receive an answer and called the French coastguard at 2.57am French time and then emailed the French and British coastguard at 3.13am.

Mr Posner said it first informed the French coastguard because "the first location that we had was in French waters."

The Royal Navy, French navy, Coastguard and RNLI lifeboats were all involved in a major rescue operation off the Kent coast on Wednesday morning.

RNLI lifeboats were launched from Dover at 3.07am, followed by more from Ramsgate and Hastings.

A Kent MP, Sir Roger Gale told the Commons that some of those rescued were still "fighting for their lives".

Temperature overnight between zero 0C and 1C

Searches will continue, but at this stage more are feared dead given the freezing conditions of the water, a source told Sky News.

The temperature recorded at Dungeness overnight was between 0C and 1C, according to the Met Office.

British Red Cross director of refugee support Alex Fraser said anyone making the journey under these circumstances "shows just how desperate people are".


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