6 dead, dozens rescued from sinking migrant boat in English Channel

Six people died and dozens of others were rescued from a boat carrying migrants that capsized Saturday while trying to cross the English Channel, French authorities said.

About 50 people were rescued, France's Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said.

Authorities initially said six of those rescued were in serious condition and one of them died after being flown by helicopter to a Calais hospital. They later announced that five others had died.

Several British and French ships were involved in the early morning search and rescue effort after a patrol boat reported that a migrant boat was sinking off Sangatte.

The Boulogne prosecutor's office is investigating.