By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) – A seven-year-old girl died after a small boat attempting to cross the English Channel capsized in northern France, according to officials on Sunday.
The boat with 16 migrants on board sank a few kilometers from the coast of Dunkirk, France, BBC reported, citing local French authorities.
Local authority Prefet du Nord said police and firefighters were alerted to the capsized boat by a walker and added that the boat was not "appropriately sized" to carry so many people.
"A couple, whose origin is being determined, with their four children, including the mother who is pregnant, were on board," said the statement
"Their little daughter, 7, died from drowning,” it added.
Last year, nearly 30,000 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK from France