(AP) — French authorities say several people were killed in a failed attempt to cross the English Channel from northern France early Sunday.
A statement from the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais region said rescue operations were underway and survivors of the tragedy had been taken to a gymnasium in the northern town of Ambretuse.
Saturday's incident came nearly two weeks after a boat carrying migrants wrecked in the English Channel while trying to reach Britain from northern France, causing dozens of people to fall into the treacherous waterway and killing 13, authorities said.
French coastguard and navy vessels rescued 200 people from dangerous waters in the Pas-de-Calais region on Saturday, according to a report from the French maritime authority responsible for the English Channel and North Sea.
Authorities said there were 18 attempts on Saturday to depart the ship from France to Britain.
Before Saturday's incident, at least 43 migrants had died or gone missing while trying to reach Britain this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
In July, four migrants died when a rubber boat capsized and punctured while trying to cross the border, and five others, including a child, were killed in a separate attempt in April.
The migrant boat was wrecked in the dark and cold winter of January, and five bodies were found either retrieved from the sea or washed up on shore.
