BEIRUT – Eight people were killed, and over 2,800 others, including Hezbollah members, were wounded on Tuesday in different areas of Lebanon as their pagers exploded, said Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad.

Elnashra news website reported that the son of Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Ammar was among those killed, and Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was among the injured.

Israeli military targeted the batteries of these pagers, leading to their explosions, said the report, adding the injured were being transferred to hospitals.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it is conducting security and scientific investigations to identify the reasons behind these explosions, adding that the group is “at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people.”

In a separate statement, the Shiite group blamed Israel for “this criminal attack,” vowing to retaliate.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged the mobilization of all departments of the Public Health Ministry to follow up on medical care for the wounded.

The ministry’s Emergency Operations Center issued an urgent statement requesting all hospitals across Lebanon to be on high alert and enhance preparedness to meet the massive need for emergency health services.

The ministry also asked all citizens to discard their pager devices immediately over safety concerns.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Council of Ministers stressed that the government, shortly after the deadly explosions, began contacting the concerned countries and the United Nations to hold the perpetrators accountable.

XINHUA

UNITED NATIONS – Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, on Tuesday urged Israel to heed the strong call of the international community by immediately ending its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.

In remarks at the UN General Assembly emergency special session on the Palestinian question, Fu said decades of occupation and oppression have inflicted untold sufferings on the Palestinian people, and made the long-cherished dream of independent statehood ever more elusive.

“Ending the occupation is not an option, but a legal obligation for Israel,” he stressed.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in its advisory opinion issued on July 19, unequivocally concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is a violation of international law, and that Israel is under an obligation to immediately bring to an end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories, the ambassador said, adding that the ICJ’s advisory opinion affirms the long-standing consensus of the international community and pinpoints the crux of the Palestinian question.

“We urge Israel to heed the strong call of the international community by immediately ending its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory,” he said.

Fu noted that ending the occupation is to redress historical injustice and, more importantly, lay the foundation for peace.

Underscoring that independent statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people as a nation, the ambassador said the prolonged illegal occupation has hindered the realization of self-determination of the Palestinian people and given Israel an exclusive veto over Palestine. “This is unacceptable.”

Only a complete end to the occupation and the establishment of the Independent State of Palestine will truly make it possible for Palestine and Israel to live side by side in peace, for the two peoples to live together in peace and tranquility, and for lasting peace to be achieved in the Middle East, he said.

Fu emphasized that the implementation of the two-State solution is the only viable way to resolve the question of Palestine, and is the broad consensus of the international community.

He called on the international community to make greater efforts and demand that Israel implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, cease its military operations in Gaza, and stop its illegal settlement activities in the West Bank.

“China advocates the convening of a more broad-based and effective international peace conference to revitalize the political prospects of the two-State solution and to work out a timetable and a roadmap for its implementation,” he said.

“Today is a historic moment,” Fu said, noting that the State of Palestine has taken a seat among UN member states and introduced a draft resolution to the General Assembly that focuses on the implementation of the advisory opinion of the ICJ.

He said China will vote in favor of the draft resolution, and hopes the resolution will give new impetus to ending the occupation, implementing the two-State solution, and advancing the Middle East peace process.

XINHUA

LIMA – At least 15 people were killed in Peru due to the serious forest fires occurring in various parts of the country, Minister of Health Cesar Vasquez said Monday.

“We have reported so far unfortunately 15 deaths, six hospitalized, 128 discharged from hospital and we as the Ministry of Health will always be in an expectant attitude,” the official told reporters.

He assured that the authorities will keep alert and continue providing medical support to those affected in the areas hit by the fires, which not only affect the South American nation, but also the region.

Last weekend, the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) said that 222 forest fires had been registered in 23 of the 25 regions of the country this year, of which 51 remained active.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Monday left for the Amazon region “to continue monitoring the areas affected” by the fires and coordinate actions with local authorities and other institutions.

XINHUA

SAO PAULO – At least five people were missing and four others were rescued alive after a cargo ship sank off the coast of the Brazilian northeastern state of Pernambuco, local media reported on Monday.

The boat, named “Concordia,” sank 15 kilometers from Ponta das Pedras beach in the municipality of Goiania Sunday night.

The Brazilian Navy announced in a statement that it activated the rescue and emergency protocols through the use of boats and an Air Force plane, which allowed the rescue of four crew members of the boat who were in good condition.

The owner of the boat, Antonio Goncalves, told the Globo news network that the boat, with the capacity to transport 180 tons, carried construction materials and food to Fernando de Noronha, where some of the most admired beaches in Brazil are located.

XINHUA

NIAMEY – Eight people died on the spot and another succumbed to injuries at a local hospital following two road accidents in Niger on Monday, reported the national television.

More than 100 were injured, including 30 in critical condition, said the report.

Both accidents occurred in Dosso, a city in western Niger. The first occurred at the village of Seyti and the second at the city’s entrance.

The victims were returning from the city of Kiota, where they celebrated Mouloud, a holiday marking the birth of the Prophet of Islam.

The two accidents involved vehicles unsuitable for transport or overloaded, reflecting a lack of respect for road traffic rules, said the governor of the region, General Iro Oumarou, during his visit to the hospital and the scene of the accidents.

XINHUA

FREETOWN – At least eight people were killed on Monday after a seven-story building collapsed in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) of Sierra Leone confirmed.

The NDMA said six survivors have been rescued from the rubble, while many people remain trapped beneath the debris.

According to eyewitnesses, the building was used for residential and commercial purposes.

The NDMA and other partners are making an all-out effort to recover more victims trapped beneath the collapsed structure, and NDMA authorities have initiated investigations into the cause of the disaster.

Brima Sesay, director general of the NDMA, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to raising public awareness about the risks associated with using unqualified contractors and substandard building materials.

XINHUA

JITRA – Seramai 53 penduduk membabitkan 15 keluarga dari tiga kampung di Mukim Malau, di sini, ditempatkan di sebuah pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) susulan banjir kilat, malam tadi.

Pegawai Pertahanan Awam Daerah Kubang Pasu, Kapten (PA) Mohd Adenin Suhaimi, berkata kampung terbabit ialah Kampung Padang Panjang, Kampung Sampang dan Kampung Lubuk Ipoh.

“Air mulai naik sejak malam tadi sebelum PPS Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Malau dibuka pada jam 9.16 malam.

“Anggota Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (APM) Daerah Kubang Pasu sudah bersiap sedia dan masih berada di lapangan untuk membuat pemantauan.

“Selain itu, penduduk yang terjejas akibat banjir dinasihatkan berpindah ke tempat selamat,” katanya, di sini, hari ini.

Mohd Adenin berkata, anggota membantu memindahkan mangsa banjir ke PPS sejak malam tadi.

Beliau sekali gus menasihati penduduk di kawasan berisiko banjir supaya bersiap sedia untuk berpindah jika kediaman mereka mula dinaiki air.

Terdahulu, media melaporkan hujan lebat sejak pagi hingga ke petang semalam menyebabkan beberapa kawasan di daerah ini dilanda banjir kilat.

Keadaan itu menyebabkan laluan di Kilometer 22.5 Lebuh Raya Utara-Selatan di Jalan Asun-Jitra ditutup kepada kenderaan ringan pada jam 3.55 petang kerana ditenggelami air.

BH ONLINE

SUNGAI PETANI – Seorang lelaki mengalami kecederaan parah di kepala apabila rumahnya dihempap pokok tumbang di Jalan Kampung Nyior, Bukit Selambau, di sini, awal pagi tadi.

Ketua Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) Amanjaya, Penolong Penguasa Bomba Azahari Abdullah, berkata pihaknya menerima panggilan kecemasan berhubung insiden itu pada jam 1.18 pagi.

Susulan itu, beliau berkata, pasukan dari BBP Amanjaya yang diketuai Pegawai Bomba Kanan (PBK) II Rofae Samsuiman bersama lapan anggota bergegas ke lokasi.

“Setiba di lokasi, didapati pokok tumbang menghempap sebuah rumah kelas B sehingga menyebabkan lelaki berusia 34 tahun itu parah di kepala.

“Tindakan awal dilakukan anggota bomba ialah mengeluarkan mangsa dari rumah terbabit. Lelaki itu juga diberikan rawatan awal oleh petugas Kementerian Kesihatan di lokasi,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan, hari ini.

Azahari berkata, mangsa kemudian dihantar ke Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim (HSAH) di sini untuk rawatan lanjut.

Beliau berkata, operasi pembersihan pokok tumbang diteruskan oleh anggota bomba di lokasi.

BH ONLINE

FLORIDA – A man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump was charged Monday with federal gun crimes, making his first court appearance in the final weeks of a White House race already touched by violence.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, faces charges of possessing a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury.

Routh appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach, where he answered perfunctory questions about his work status and income.

Shackled and wearing a blue jumpsuit, he smiled as he spoke with a public defender and reviewed documents ahead of his initial appearance.

The lawyer declined to comment after the court appearance.

The episode occurred Sunday afternoon when Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing golf noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.

An agent fired and Routh dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, authorities said. Routh was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.

It was the second apparent assassination attempt targeting Trump in as many months.

On July 13, a bullet grazed Trump’s ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Eight days later, Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, giving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party’s nominee.

AN-AP

GAZA – Israeli occupation forces committed three massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours, resulting in the killing of at least 20 Palestinians and the injury of 76 others, according to medical sources.

Local health authorities confirmed that the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli onslaught since October 7 has risen to 41,226 reported fatalities, with an additional 95,413 individuals sustaining injuries. The majority of the victims are women and children.

According to the same sources, emergency services are still unable to reach many casualties and dead bodies trapped under the rubble or scattered on roads across the war-torn enclave, as Israeli occupation forces continue to obstruct the movement of ambulance and civil defense crews.

WAFA

BAGHDAD – A Turkish drone strike on Monday killed a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and wounded two others in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, the Counter-Terrorism Service of the neighboring semi-autonomous Kurdistan region said in a statement.

The airstrike occurred at 9:45 a.m. local time (0645 GMT) when a Turkish drone attacked a gathering of PKK militants in Makhmour refugee camp, southeast of the provincial capital Mosul, the statement said.

Turkish forces frequently carry out cross-border operations targeting PKK militants in northern Iraq, with a particular focus on the Qandil Mountains, which serve as the group’s stronghold.

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

XINHUA

TEHRAN – One person was killed and 37 others injured in a collision on Monday between a sedan and a bus in southeastern Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The bus, carrying Pakistani nationals returning from northeastern Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province, collided with a sedan on an intercity road in Sistan and Baluchestan’s Nimruz county, IRNA quoted Mohammad Mohammadi, head of the medical emergency services and crisis management of Zabol University of Medical Sciences, as saying.

The sedan’s driver lost his life before the arrival of ambulances, and two of the injured were transferred to the hospital, Mohammadi said, adding that the other 35 wounded received primary emergency treatments at the scene as they refrained from being transferred to medical centers.

There has been no mention of the cause of the incident.

XINHUA

KUALA LUMPUR – Seorang pereka dalaman ditemui mati dalam keadaan tragis dengan 20 kesan tikaman pada anggota badannya di sebuah apartmen di Persiaran Meranti, Bandar Sri Damansara, Petaling Jaya di sini, awal pagi tadi.

Ketua Polis Daerah Petaling Jaya, Asisten Komisioner Shahrulnizam Ja’afar, berkata pihaknya menerima satu laporan berkait kejadian itu pada jam 1 pagi daripada orang awam yang juga jiran mangsa.

Beliau berkata, jiran itu menghubungi pihak polis selepas bimbang perkara buruk berlaku kepada mangsa selepas mendengar suara pergaduhan antara mangsa dan seorang individu, kira-kira jam 11 malam.

“Pengadu memaklumkan tidak melihat jirannya itu keluar dari rumah selepas pergaduhan dan bertindak menghubungi pihak polis.

“Sepasukan anggota dari Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Petaling Jaya ke lokasi dan hasil pemeriksaan, menemui mangsa sudah meninggal dunia akibat ditikam dipercayai oleh individu yang belum dapat dikenal pasti,” katanya dalam kenyataan hari ini.

Shahrulnizam berkata, mangsa dikenal pasti sebagai seorang lelaki tempatan berusia 36 tahun.

“Hasil pemeriksaan awal, kita menganggarkan terdapat 20 kesan tikaman di beberapa anggota badan mangsa dengan lima kesan tikaman ditemui pada sebelah kiri rusuk yang dipercayai menyebabkan kematiannya.

“Enam lagi tikaman ditemui pada bahagian kepala dan sembilan tikaman pada kedua-dua pergelangan tangan,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, semakan mendapati, mangsa yang bekerja sebagai pereka dalaman separuh masa tinggal berseorangan di rumah itu yang baru dibelinya pada tahun lalu.

“Pihak polis sedang menjalankan siasatan lanjut dan usaha mengesan suspek sedang dijalankan.

“Kita minta orang ramai yang mempunyai sebarang maklumat mengenai kejadian ini untuk tampil membantu siasatan polis,” katanya.

Shahrulnizam berkata, maklumat boleh disalurkan terus dengan menghubungi Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Petaling Jaya di talian 03-7966 2222 atau tampil di mana-mana balai polis berhampiran.

“Mayat mangsa dihantar ke Hospital Sungai Buloh untuk proses bedah siasat dan kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 302 Kanun Keseksaan iaitu bunuh,” katanya.

BH ONLINE

KUALA TERENGGANU – Tiga maut manakala enam lagi cedera dalam kemalangan membabitkan peserta Himpunan RXZ Members 6.0 di Terengganu.

Ketua Polis Terengganu, Datuk Mohd Khairi Khairudin, berkata ia membabitkan masing-masing satu kes di Marang, Kemaman dan Hulu Terengganu.

Beliau berkata, kemalangan pertama berlaku di Kilometer (KM) 24, Jalan Kuala Terengganu-Kuantan, Marang, kelmarin, membabitkan seorang penunggang motosikal berusia 58 tahun dari Perak.

“Nahas kedua pula berlaku semalam di KM 270.1, Lebuhraya Pantai Timur (LPT2) Kemaman mengorbankan seorang lelaki berusia 29 tahun dari Negeri Sembilan yang maut selepas motosikal ditunggangnya hilang kawalan dan terbabas selepas mengelak patung penyu yang ada di atas jalan.

“Selain itu, di Hulu Terengganu, seorang penunggang motosikal berusia 29 tahun dari Pahang maut di tempat kejadian selepas motosikalnya bergesel dengan sebuah motosikal yang berhenti di lorong kecemasan menyebabkannya terjatuh di atas jalan dan diseret lori semalam,” katanya.

Himpunan RXZ Members 6.0 yang berlangsung selama dua hari bermula 13 September lalu menarik lebih 60,000 peserta dari seluruh negara.

Program itu dirasmikan Menteri Besar Terengganu, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

Mohd Khairi berkata, pihaknya turut mengeluarkan 89 saman membabitkan pelbagai kesalahan dalam operasi yang dilakukan di Litar Permotoran Terengganu, Gong Badak dan sekitar daerah Kuala Terengganu sepanjang dua hari bermula Jumaat lalu.

Katanya, polis turut menyita 15 motosikal dalam operasi sama.

“Antara kesalahan paling tinggi direkodkan adalah ubah suai ekzos (24 kes), tiada cermin sisi (15 kes) dan aksesori tidak sempurna (10 kes).

“Semua kesalahan itu dikesan hasil pemeriksaan ke atas 89 motosikal dan 110 individu. Semua penugasan dan operasi berjalan dengan baik dan lancar serta tiada sebarang perkara tidak diingini berlaku,” katanya.

BH ONLINE

IPOH – Seramai 34 penumpang termasuk pemandu sebuah bas persiaran dua tingkat cedera selepas bas yang dinaiki hilang kawalan lalu melanggar pembahagi jalan di Kilometer (km) 273.4, Lebuhraya Utara Selatan arah utara, berdekatan Gunung Lang, di sini, awal pagi tadi.

Ketua Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) Ipoh, Azman Hussin, berkata tiga termasuk dua wanita yang berada di tingkat bawah bas `double decker’ itu disahkan cedera akibat tersepit di antara kerusi penumpang.

Katanya, 17 anggota Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) Ipoh dibantu anggota BBP Simpang Pulai digerakkan ke lokasi sebaik panggilan kecemasan diterima jam 1.10 pagi tadi.

“Bas itu dinaiki 33 penumpang dengan 30 berada di tingkat atas manakala tiga lagi di tingkat bawah selain pemandu. Tiga mangsa cedera tersepit dikeluarkan pihak bomba manakala 31 lagi cedera ringan keluar sendiri.

“Anggota bantu mengeluarkan mangsa di tingkat bawah yang tersepit dengan menarik pelaras kerusi dan mengeluarkannya dengan menggunakan pengusung,” katanya ketika dihubungi sebentar tadi.

Azman berkata tiga mangsa cedera dihantar ke Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun untuk rawatan lanjut manakala selebihnya diberi rawatan awal oleh pasukan perubatan Kementerian Kesihatan yang datang membantu.

BH ONLINE

KUALA LUMPUR – Seorang doktor yang ditemui mati di kediamannya di Lahad Datu, Sabah, pada 29 Ogos lalu, didakwa disebabkan tindakan bunuh diri, berikutan tidak tahan dibuli oleh ketua jabatannya.

Mendedahkan perkara itu, adik mangsa, yang dikenali sebagai YS Tay mendakwa kakaknya, Dr Tay Tien Yaa, ditindas pegawai atasannya selain menghadapi tekanan sepanjang bertugas di unitnya akibat beban kerja melampau.

Tay dalam perkongsian melalui akaun Facebooknya berkata, kakaknya yang sebelum ini berkhidmat sebagai Ketua Unit Patologi Kimia di Jabatan Patologi juga terpaksa berurusan dengan pemeriksaan instrumen, menghadiri mesyuarat, penyediaan laporan, menguruskan sumber manusia dan perancangan kewangan jabatan.

“Cukup tidak bertanggungjawab ketua jabatan. Dia juga merupakan seorang pakar perubatan yang baharu dilantik, namun menyalahgunakan kuasanya dan menindas orang bawahan.

“Saya tertanya-tanya kenapa dengan sifat Dr Tay Tien Yaa yang tidak pernah mengadu akan berlaku tragedi? Dalam tempoh enam bulan berkhidmat, pihak hospital menghubungi keluarga untuk menyampaikan berita mengejutkan,” katanya.

Dr Tien Yaa menamatkan pengajian di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) pada 2023 sebelum melapor diri di Hospital Lahad Datu pada Februari 2024.

Beliau berkahwin pada September 2023 dan sepanjang berkhidmat, dia berusaha meningkatkan perkhidmatan perubatan di hospital itu termasuk berjaya memperoleh sumbangan sebuah komputer melalui Persatuan Perdagangan Cina Lahad Datu.

Pada masa sama YS Tay berkata, pihaknya mendakwa fenomena tekanan di tempat kerja dan buli dalam kalangan doktor baharu sangat berleluasa.

“Namun keadaan ini tidak sepatutnya dianggap normal…lebih-lebih lagi tiada siapa yang mengambil berat mengenai punca sebenar mengapa Dr Tien Yaa membunuh diri.

“Hanya segelintir doktor muda yang sebaya dan rakan terdekatnya menzahirkan kesedihan mereka di media sosial, namun suara mereka tenggelam dan tidak mendapat perhatian daripada pihak atasan,” katanya.

YS Tay turut mempersoalkan sama ada wujudnya pihak yang akan memperjuangkan keadilan untuk doktor muda yang terus menerus ditekan di tempat kerja sehingga terkorban.

Sebelum ini, BH melaporkan, beberapa doktor di hospital kerajaan di Sabah mengalami gejala buli secara lisan dan fizikal apabila dihambur perkataan kesat, lucah serta penghinaan kaum, selain pernah diancam senjata tajam jika tidak mematuhi arahan ketua unit.

Susulan itu, Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad menegaskan, Kementerian Kesihatan (KKM) mengamalkan dasar sifar toleransi terhadap sebarang gejala buli dalam kalangan pengamal perubatan, terutama membabitkan doktor.

BH ONLINE

KINABATANGAN – Lebih 150 penduduk hilang tempat tinggal selepas 44 rumah didiami mereka musnah dalam kebakaran di Kampung Pinangah, Tongod, di sini, malam tadi.

Dalam kejadian kira-kira jam 7.20 malam itu, sebahagian besar penghuni terbabit tinggal sehelai sepinggang tanpa sempat menyelamatkan dokumen penting dan barangan berharga, berikutan api marak dengan cepat serta kedudukan rumah yang rapat.

Ketua Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) Kinabatangan, Penolong Penguasa Bomba Nurul Azlan Shah Jamalludin, berkata pihaknya menerima panggilan kecemasan berhubung insiden berkenaan pada jam 7.24 malam.

Susulan itu, katanya, sepasukan 13 anggota bersama dua jentera bergegas ke lokasi kejadian yang terletak sejauh 174 kilometer.

Berdasarkan laporan setakat ini, beliau berkata, kebakaran itu membabitkan 44 rumah jenis tidak kekal dan separuh kekal.

“Selain itu, sebuah kenderaan juga terbakar sepenuhnya,” katanya ketika dihubungi, hari ini.

Beliau memaklumkan, api berjaya dikawal pada jam 2.30 pagi tadi tetapi pasukan bomba masih meneruskan kerja-kerja pemadaman sepenuhnya.

Setakat ini, katanya, tiada kemalangan jiwa dilaporkan dan punca kejadian masih dalam siasatan.

BH ONLINE

ANKARA – At least three people were killed and eight others injured Monday in a traffic accident in southern Türkiye, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

A truck and a passenger minibus reportedly collided in the Ceyhan district of the Adana province.

The injured were hospitalized, and an investigation has been launched to find the cause of the accident, Anadolu said, adding that the drivers have not yet been identified.

Official data show that in 2023, road traffic accidents involving death or injury increased to 235,771, up 19.2 percent from the previous year.

A total of 6,548 deaths and 350,855 injuries were recorded in road accidents in 2023, posting an average of 18 deaths and 961 injuries per day.

XINHUA

KYIV – Russia launched a drone attack overnight on Kyiv, with air defense units engaged in repelling the strikes, Ukrainian military officials said on Monday on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters’ witnesses reported a series of loud explosions in what sounded like air defense systems in operation.

AN-REUTERS

AMBLETEUSE, France – Eight migrants died on Sunday when their overcrowded vessel capsized while trying to cross the Channel from France to England, French authorities said, less than two weeks after the deadliest such disaster this year.

The latest tragedy means 46 migrants have lost their lives attempting to reach British shores so far this year, a regional official said, up from 12 in 2023.

The French and British governments have sought for years to stop the flow of migrants, who pay smugglers thousands of euros per head for the passage on overloaded rubber dinghies.

Regional prefect Jacques Billant said the incident happened at around 1:00 a.m. (2300 GMT on Saturday) off the coast of the northern town of Ambleteuse.

“The toll was terrible, with eight people reported dead,” he told the press near the site of the accident.

He said they seemed all to be men.

Six survivors were hospitalized, including a 10-month-old baby with hypothermia, he added.

The boat had set off from the Slack river that flows into the sea between the towns of Wimereux and Ambleteuse.

It had 59 people on board from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt and Iran, Billant said.

“Only one out of six had a life jacket,” he said.

The dinghy “quickly got into difficulty and ran aground,” he said. “The boat was torn apart on the rocks.”

Christel Leclair, a volunteer at a local charity, said a second boat had departed at around 7:30 a.m. despite the fatal accident.

Departures “happen the whole time — winter, day, night, summer… as soon as the sea is calm,” she said.

“The boats are more and more overcrowded. They don’t have life jackets, just sometimes the inner tube of a tire,” she added.

“There are children, pregnant women and tiny babies. We’re sad and deflated.”

The Auberge des Migrants (Migrant shelter) charity on X called on the French and British states to “immediately rethink their migration policy.”

Billant said that this year French authorities had dismantled 20 people smuggling networks, arresting 77 people of whom 59 have been referred to the courts.

But Charlotte Kwantes, of the Utopia 56 charity helping migrants, said departures would only continue.

Without enough legal options for migrants wishing to reach the United Kingdom, “people are continuing and will continue to take the same risks, whatever the quantity of patrols and means deployed at the border,” she said.

Maritime authorities said Saturday that migrants had made numerous attempts to cross the Channel in recent days, with 200 people rescued in 24 hours over Friday and Saturday alone.

The latest incident comes after at least 12 migrants including six minors, mostly from Eritrea, died when their boat capsized off the northern French coast on September 3.

More than 22,000 migrants have arrived in England by crossing the Channel since the beginning of this year, according to British officials.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron pledged this summer to strengthen “cooperation” in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.

Starmer’s office on Sunday announced the appointment of Martin Hewitt as chief of the new UK Border Security Command, set up to bolster the fight against illegal migration notably by leading joint investigations with other European countries.

Hewitt will accompany Starmer during a trip to Rome on Monday for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni where tackling illegal migration will be high on the agenda.

The Channel crossings often prove perilous, and in November 2021, 27 migrants died when their boat capsized in the deadliest single such disaster to date.

French authorities seek to stop migrants taking to the water but do not intervene once they are afloat except for rescue purposes, citing safety concerns.

AN-AFP