Migrant boat capsizes in English Channel; at least 31 dead

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 34 people were believed to have been on the boat. Authorities found 31 bodies -- including those of five women and a young girl -- and two survivors, he said. One person appeared to still be missing. The nationalities of the travelers was not immediately known.

The regional prosecutor opened an investigation into aggravated manslaughter, organized illegal migration and other charges after the sinking. Lille Prosecutor Carole Etienne, whose office is overseeing the investigation, said officials were still working to identify the victims and determine their ages and nationalities.

The bodies were brought to Calais. "Traffickers are assassins," Jean-Marc Puissesseau, head of the ports of Calais and Boulogne, told The AP. "We were waiting for something like this to happen." He reiterated that Britain wants to work with the French to "break the business model" of smuggling gangs. A French naval boat spotted several bodies in the water around 2 p.m. and rescue boats retrieved several dead and injured from the surrounding waters, a maritime authority spokesperson said. French patrol boats, a French helicopter and a British helicopter searched the area.

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