At least 12 migrants have died after their boat sank trying to cross the English Channel.
The French coastguard confirmed the deaths after up to 65 people were rescued off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez on Tuesday.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper branded the incident “horrifying and deeply tragic” as she said “vital” efforts to dismantle “dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs” and to boost border security “must proceed apace”.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin described it as a “terrible shipwreck”, adding in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “The provisional toll stands at 12 dead, two missing and several injured.
“All government services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims.”
Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer where the casualties are being treated, said that the bottom of the boat “ripped open”.
All of the people on board the dinghy ended up in the water, many of whom were not wearing life jackets, and several of the migrants needing emergency medical care, according to the French coastguard.
Ms Cooper said she was in touch with Mr Darmanin and was being kept updated on the situation, adding: “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives, and all those who have been seriously injured.”
The latest casualties mean more than 30 people have died in Channel crossings so far this year.
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