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One person has died and another is in a critical condition in hospital after a boat carrying migrants sank in the English Channel.

They were among at least 66 people on the inflatable dinghy which got into difficulty about fives miles (8km) off the northern French coast, according to the coastguard.

The survivors have been taken to Calais while a search is continuing by air and sea.

Rescuers reached the craft at about 1am local time and found one of the boat’s tubes was deflated and people were in the water.

Two of the migrants were found unconscious.

One in a life-threatening condition was airlifted to hospital by helicopter, while a second person could not be revived.

The rescue happened off the coast near Grand-Fort Philippe, 12 miles (20km) east of Calais.

Government minister Andrew Griffith said the latest tragedy underlined why the crossing was “not a safe route” and why Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was “cracking down on the terrible trade of people traffickers”.

Reacting to the incident on Sky News, Mr Griffith said: “All of these are tragic stories.

“It shows once again the importance of cracking down on the terrible trade of people traffickers in the Channel.

“It is not a safe route, it is not a safe crossing. People shouldn’t need to do that.

“It is why it is really important that the government is taking action… to absolutely remove the incentive, break the economic model of people smugglers, so that we can stop this terrible trade.”

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Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said: “It is obviously absolutely awful, heartbreaking news.

“One can barely imagine what it must have been like in the middle of the night with freezing cold water and the terror and fear for people on that vessel.

“And I think yet again this underlines really that the criminal people-smuggling gangs are putting individuals in absolutely appalling danger.

“They are profiting from this really disgracefully, and there needs to be far more done to break up those criminal people smuggling gangs.”

Enver Solomon, chief executive officer of the Refugee Council, said: “This is yet another terrible and avoidable tragedy.

“These appalling deaths are becoming too common and there is an urgent need to put in place safe routes so people don’t have to take dangerous journeys across the world’s busiest shipping lane.

“People flee persecution and violence out of desperation, to find safety and protect their families.

“The government must take action now and respond in a compassionate way to prevent future tragedies and protect human life.”

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Mr Sunak has made tackling small boat crossings a key priority.

The Conservative leader won a critical vote this week at Westminster for emergency legislation aimed at reviving his controversial £290m plan to deport those entering the country illicitly to Rwanda.

But he faces further opposition from hardliners on the Tory right, who want the draft law strengthened, while this will be resisted by party centrists, who have warned against breaking international law.

Mr Sunak has refused to say how soon flights to Kigali will take off if he gets the bill through the Commons and Lords, where it is also expected to face a rough ride.

Latest figures show almost 29,000 migrants have arrived in the UK this year, the second highest total on record for small boat arrivals.

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Controversial US and Israel-backed aid group starts operations in Gaza

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Controversial US and Israel-backed aid group starts operations in Gaza

A new aid system has opened its first distribution centres in Gaza, according to a US-backed organisation dealing with supplies.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began its operations in the territory on Monday, following the resignation of its director, Jake Wood, over its independence.

Gaza’s 2.3m population has been pushed towards famine by Israel’s almost three-month blockade.

Boxes of aid to be distributed across Rafah. Pic: Reuters.
Image:
Boxes of aid to be distributed across Rafah. Pic: Reuters.

The GHF said lorryloads of food – it did not say how many – had been delivered to its hubs, and distribution to Palestinians had begun.

“More trucks with aid will be delivered tomorrow, with the flow of aid increasing each day,” it said in a statement.

The controversial group, backed by Israel and the United States, has been rejected by the United Nations and other aid groups.

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People line up for food in Gaza

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF.

They claim Israel is weaponising food, and the new distribution system will be ineffective and lead to further displacement of Palestinians.

They also argue the GHF will fail to meet local needs, and violates humanitarian principles that prohibit a warring party from controlling humanitarian assistance.

In the meantime, scores of Palestinians in Gaza, like Islam Abu Taima, have resorted to searching through rubbish to find food.

'We’re dying of hunger... if we don't eat, we'll die', Islam Abu Taeima said.
Image:
Palestinians are having to search through rubbish to find food

She found a small pile of cooked rice, scraps of bread, and a box with a few pieces of cheese inside it – which she said she will serve to her five children.

“We’re dying of hunger,” she told the Associated Press news agency.

“If we don’t eat, we’ll die.”

Islam Abu Taeima finds a piece of bread in a pile of rubbish in Gaza City. Pic: AP.
Image:
Islam Abu Taeima finds a piece of bread in a pile of rubbish in Gaza City. Pic: AP.

It is unclear how many of the GHF’s aid trucks will enter Gaza.

It claims it will reach one million Palestinians by the end of the week.

There are questions, however, over who is funding it and how it will work.

Trucks transporting aid for Palestinians in Rafah. Pic: Reuters.
Image:
Trucks transporting aid for Palestinians in Rafah. Pic: Reuters.

It has been set up as part of an Israeli plan – rather than a UN distribution effort.

Israel, which suggested a similar plan earlier this year, has said it will not be involved in distributing the aid but supported the plan and would provide security.

It says aid deliveries into Gaza are taken by Hamas instead of going to civilians.

Aid groups, however, say there is no evidence of this happening on a systemic basis.

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Israel began to allow a limited amount of food into Gaza last week – after a blockade that prevented food, medicine, fuel and other goods from entering the Palestinian enclave.

A letter has been signed by hundreds of judges and lawyers calling on the UK government to impose trade sanctions on Israel.

It also calls for Israeli ministers to be sanctioned and the suspension of Israel from the UN over “serious breaches of international law”.

“Genocide is being perpetrated in Gaza or that, at a minimum, there is a serious risk of genocide,” the letter says.

The Israeli government has repeatedly dismissed allegations of genocide in Gaza.

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At least 31 dead after school attack

More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its ground invasion of Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, following the deadly attacks by the militant group on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 people taken hostage.

The health ministry’s figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters in Gaza.

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King Charles urged to seek Canadian apology for historical abuse of British children

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King Charles urged to seek Canadian apology for historical abuse of British children

King Charles and Queen Camilla are being urged to use their visit to Canada to seek an apology for the abuse of British children.

Campaigners have called on them to pursue an apology for the “dire circumstances” suffered by so-called “Home Children” over decades.

More than 100,000 were shipped from orphan homes in the UK to Canada between 1869 and 1948 with many used as cheap labour, typically as farm workers and domestic servants. Many were subject to mistreatment and abuse.

Canada has resisted calls to follow the UK and Australia in apologising for its involvement in child migrant schemes.

King Charles and Mark Carney on Monday. Pic: PA
Image:
King Charles and Mark Carney on Monday. Pic: PA

Campaigners for the Home Children say the royal visit presents a “great opportunity” for a change of heart.

“I would ask that King Charles uses his trip to request an apology,” John Jefkins told Sky News.

John’s father Bert was one of 115,000 British Home Children transported to Canada, arriving in 1914 with his brother Reggie.

“It’s really important for the Home Children themselves and for their descendants,” John said.

“It’s something we deserve and it’s really important for the healing process, as well as building awareness of the experience of the Home Children.

“They were treated very, very badly by the Canadian government at the time. A lot of them were abused, they were treated horribly. They were second-class citizens, lepers in a way.”

More on this story:
The forgotten legacy of British children sent to Canada

John Jefkins
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John Jefkins

John added: “I think the King’s visit provides a great opportunity to reinforce our campaign and to pursue an apology because we’re part of the Commonwealth and King Charles is a new Head of the Commonwealth meeting a new Canadian prime minister. It’s a chance, for both, to look at the situation with a fresh eye.

“There’s much about this visit that looks on our sovereignty and who we are as Canadians, rightly so.

“I think it’s also right that in contemplating the country we built, we focus on the people who built it, many in the most trying of circumstances.”

The issue was addressed by the then Prince of Wales during a tour of Canada in May 2022. He said at the time: “We must find new ways to come to terms with the darker and more difficult aspects of the past.”

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Analysis: King is ‘piggy in the middle’ in Canada-US stand-off

King Charles and Queen Camilla are on a two-day visit to Canada.

On Tuesday, the King will deliver the Speech from the Throne to open the 45th session of Canada’s parliament.

Camilla was made Patron of Barnardo’s in 2016. The organisation sent tens of thousands of Home Children to Canada. She took on the role, having served as president since 2007.

Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.

A spokesperson for the Canadian government said: “The government of Canada is committed to keeping the memory of the British Home Children alive.

“Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada deeply regrets this unjust and discriminatory policy, which was in place from 1869 to 1948. Such an approach would have no place in modern Canada, and we must learn from past mistakes.”

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At least 20 reported dead in Israeli airstrike on Gaza school housing displaced people

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At least 20 reported dead in Israeli airstrike on Gaza school housing displaced people

At least 20 people have been killed and dozens more injured after an Israeli airstrike targeting a school in Gaza, health authorities have said.

Reuters news agency reported the number of dead, citing medics, with the school in the Daraj neighbourhood having been used to shelter displaced people who had fled previous bombardments.

Medical and civil defence sources on the ground confirmed women and children were among the casualties, with several charred bodies arriving at al Shifa and al Ahli hospitals.

The scene inside the school has been described as horrific, with more victims feared trapped under the rubble.

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