Multiple deaths as irregular migrants' boat sinks off northern France

The mayor of a French coastal town being used in a rescue operation said 13 irregular migrants have died after their boat ripped apart during an attempted crossing of the English Channel.

"Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open," said Olivier Barbarin, mayor of Le Portel near the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where a first-aid post was set up to treat victims.

"It’s a big drama."

The boat sank off France’s northern coast and plunged more than 50 asylum seekers into the waters of the English Channel as they tried to cross it on Tuesday, and French maritime authorities said around a dozen people were recovered in critical condition.

The English Channel is a busy and often treacherous waterway. At least 30 asylum seekers have died or gone missing while trying to cross to the UK this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The prefecture said the boat got into difficulty off Gris-Nez point and everyone aboard ended up in the water.

Boats and aircraft were scrambled for the rescue operation and more than 50 people were picked up, the prefecture said. It had no other immediate information about injuries.

Medical teams were rushed to the scene and a first aid post was set up in the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, the prefecture said. Sea temperatures off northern France were around 20 degrees C, or about 68 F.

At least 2,109 irregular migrants and asylum seekers have tried to cross the English Channel on small boats in the past seven days, according to UK Home Office data updated on Tuesday.

The data includes people found in the channel or on arrival.

Europe’s increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants have been pushing them north.