Some 13 migrants have died after their boat ripped apart trying to cross the English Channel, a French mayor has said.
Olivier Barbarin, chief of French coastal town Le Portel, near Boulogne-sur-Mer where casualties are being treated, said: “Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open.
“It’s a big drama.”
The French coastguard has said a rescue operation helped more than 50 migrants after their boat sank on Tuesday morning off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez.
It said all of the people on board the dinghy ended up in the water and several of the migrants need emergency medical care.
A spokesperson for the coastguard said the operation is ongoing with a number of helicopters and boats, including from the French navy, assisting in the rescue efforts.
The incident comes as more migrants arrived in Dover on Tuesday after crossing the English Channel.
Pictures show men, women and children coming ashore from Dungeness lifeboat and Border Force vessels.
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