At least 10 people have died off the coast of northern France after a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized this morning, according to authorities cited by French media.
Both AFP and La Voix du Nord newspaper report 10 deaths.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is expected to arrive to the region in the next few hours.
The Nord-Pas-de-Calais prefect – a region’s state representative – is also on his way, according to local media.
A statement from the French coastguard says more than 50 people are being rescued during its major operation in the English Channel.
Many of these people require emergency medical treatment, it adds.
The statement says everyone on the boat entered the water in the Channel after it got into difficulty off Cap Gris-Nez this morning. It’s not yet clear how many people were on the boat at the time.
A sea and air operation is continuing, it says, and that it will release more information soon.
