By Chantal Da Silva and Reuters -
NBC News
At least 31 immigrants died on Wednesday when they tried to reach the British coast when the inflatable boat in which they crossed the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom capsized, according to local authorities.
Franck Dhersin, mayor of Teteghem, indicated that more than fifty immigrants were traveling on the boat.
[There are] many corpses in the water, "he wrote on the social network Twitter.
A group of more than 40 migrants with children get on an inflatable boat, leaving the coast of northern France to cross the English Channel.Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he felt "a strong emotion at the tragedy of numerous deaths due to the capsizing of a migrant boat in the English Channel."
He added that
not enough could be said "about the criminal nature of the smugglers
who organize these voyages."
[At least one killed during an incident on a boat in San Diego]
Fisherman Nicolas Margolle told Reuters news agency that he had seen at least two small boats early Wednesday, but one of them, he added, appeared to be empty.
Margolle said another fisherman called rescue operators after seeing the empty boat and several people floating in the nearby waters.
The incident comes amid tensions over small boats crossing the canal
, as French and British officials have stepped up efforts to prevent asylum seekers from making this dangerous journey.
["We are tired". These migrants crossed half the world to reach the United States. They drowned in Mexico]
The French Coast Guard and the British Home Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
