Written by Thomas MackintoshBBC News
Palestinian Authority MediaA seven-year-old girl has died after a small boat trying to reach the English Channel capsized in northern France.
Officials said the boat was carrying 16 migrants when it sank a few kilometers off the coast of Dunkirk.
The local authority said in a statement that the boat “was not an appropriate size to carry this large number of people.”
She added that the girl's parents, who were traveling with three other children, were taken to a hospital in Dunkirk.
The local authority of Prive du Nord said police and firefighters were alerted to the capsized boat by a pedestrian.
She added in a statement that officials believe the ship “may have been stolen” and was not large enough to accommodate the number of people on board.
“There was a couple, whose origins have not been determined, with their four children, including the pregnant mother, on board,” Privé du Nord said.
“The couple’s young daughter, 7 years old, died from drowning.”
Two men and six young children were taken to hospital, but their condition was not life-threatening, Privé du Nord said.
Prosecutors in Dunkirk also said “several people are in custody” over the incident, Agence France-Presse reported.
The latest death comes after three migrants died on Wednesday while trying to cross the English Channel after their boat ran into difficulty.
It was one of several incidents totaling 249 people were rescued throughout the day.
Home Office figures show more than 2,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year.
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