At least 12 people have died and two others are missing after a boat carrying dozens of people seeking asylum in the UK was “ripped open” in the Channel.
The French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said several people had been injured in the “terrible shipwreck” off Cap Gris-Nez on Tuesday morning.
The boat was carrying 65 people, the news channel BFMTV reported, citing an official statement.
The French coastguard said more than 50 people had been rescued about 28 miles (45km) south-west of Calais.
Darmanin said French rescue services had been mobilised to look for missing people.
“Terrible shipwreck in Pas-de-Calais, off Wimereux. The provisional toll stands at 12 dead, two missing and several injured,” he wrote on X. “All state services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims. I will go to the elected officials and the emergency services.”
Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel, a coastal town near Boulogne-sur-Mer where casualties are being treated, said: “Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open. It’s a big drama.”
French emergency services have been deployed since 11.30am. It is understood the shipwreck took place in French waters and UK search and rescue vessels are on standby.
In the past week more than 2,000 people seeking asylum have arrived in the UK on small boats. More than 600 arrived on 28 August in 10 boats, while 351 arrived on 2 September in six vessels.
The latest tragedy comes after two migrants died on 11 August and another 50 were rescued as they attempted to cross the waters. On 19 July one person died after being rescued from the Channel; another person died a few days earlier when a boat carrying 72 people deflated.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the number of deaths this year in the Channel was “shockingly high” and called on the government to develop safe routes for people escaping war and famine.
“It is a devastating trend that shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous Channel crossings. Enforcement alone is not the solution. Heightened security and policing measures on the French coast have led to increasingly perilous crossings, launching from more dangerous locations and in flimsy, overcrowded vessels.
“In addition to taking action against the criminal gangs themselves, the government must develop a plan to improve and expand safe routes for those seeking safety. People risk their lives out of desperation, fleeing violence and persecution in countries like Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan in search of safety. We must create effective and humane pathways for those seeking refuge to reduce the need for dangerous crossings and prevent further tragedies,” he said.
The Channel is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making crossing on small boats dangerous. People smugglers typically overload rickety dinghies, often leaving them barely afloat trying to reach British shores.
The worst maritime disaster in the Channel for 30 years took place in on 24 November 2021, when 31 people died. They had repeatedly made SOS calls to French and UK emergency services, but no help was sent.