At least 13 migrants were dead after a boat capsized on Tuesday during an attempted crossing of the English Channel. Reportedly, around 70 people were on the boat. A major rescue operation is underway to locate the missing people.
1. France's outgoing interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, has said all services are mobilised to locate missing people.
"Terrible shipwreck in Pas-de-Calais, off Wimereux...All state services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims. I go to the elected officials and the emergency services," he said.
2. A maritime rescue official confirmed 13 dead. A rescue mission is underway to locate the missing people. The boat likely got into difficulty off Gris-Nez point.
3. According to mayor of Le Portel Olivier Barbarin, the bottom of the boat ripped open. “It's a big drama,” he said. Rescuers recovered 61 people from the waters, he added.
4. At least 2,109 migrants have tried to cross the English Channel on small boats in the past seven days, according to UK Home Office data. The data also says that around 30 people died crossing the Channel this year.
5. Europe's increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants have been pushing them north.