(Files) Migrants board a smuggler's inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel, on Bleriot beach at Sangatte, near Calais, northern France on October 30, 2024. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)
Lille, France: A man's body was recovered from the Channel near northern French port city Calais on Monday, prosecutors said, the day after three migrants were killed attempting to reach Britain.
"The victim is a black man aged around 30, yet to be identified at this stage," said Patrick Leleu, deputy prosecutor in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
He added that a passer-by had spotted the body in a "good state of preservation" in the water from the beach at Sangatte, just west of Calais, meaning that "the question of a link to this weekend's successful crossing arises".
The remains were found just over 500 metres (1,650 feet) from the scene of Sunday's deadly accident, Sangatte mayor Guy Allemand said.
At least three were killed as a boat was setting off for Britain in the early morning, bringing the toll for 2024 to 76.
Several groups of people had attempted to board an already-loaded inflatable "small boat", according to Pas-de-Calais prefect Jacques Billant.
The jostling and "panicked movement" that followed left around 40 people in the water, while the overloaded vessel continued its journey.
Three adult men were declared dead after being recovered by a navy helicopter just a few tens of metres from the shore.
