A FRENCH warship was escorting an overloaded small boat across the Channel when it sank and killed six migrants, it has been claimed.
The PSP Cormoran is believed to have been tracking a number of the vessels six miles off the French coast early this morning.
A second French vessel was also understood to be nearby when tragedy struck, the Mail On Sunday revealed.
Meanwhile, ministers will hire more barges to house asylum seekers and host up to 5,000 migrants in office and student accommodation blocks, according to The Telegraph.
They said that they will roll out several new barges – despite the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the water supply that forced migrants out of the Bibby Stockholm earlier this week.
The Home Office has reportedly already been granted permission to turn ex-student accommodation in Stafford into a centre that will house up to 481 asylum seekers.
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“It’s important to get these people out of hotels because of the immense cost to the taxpayer and the fact many of my constituents would rightly be resentful that they are being put up in hotels they couldn’t afford to stay in if they chose to," Sir John Hayes, a former minister said.
“I’m in favour of concentrating arrivals and the barges are a great idea. Other accommodation is desirable too,” he added
One of the small boats collapsed as it steered into a busy shipping lane with rough waters and 66 migrants were left frantically trying to scoop out water from the sinking vessel.
More than 20 of those pulled from the water were taken to Dover and some were brought ashore on stretchers.
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Five of the migrants from Afghanistan died at sea, and the sixth – an Afghan man in his twenties – was airlifted to a hospital in Calais where they tragically passed away.
At least two migrants were reported missing while 51 were safely returned to shore.
The presence of the two French vessels sparked a political debate as Tory MPs pointed fingers at the French authorities and accused them of encouraging migrants to make the perilous journey across the rough waters.
A source told The Mail on Sunday that the boat was being escorted toward Britain by a French navy patrol vessel before it capsized.
"This is a French policy designed to ensure the migrants make it to British waters as safely and quickly as possible," they added.
But following the claims, MPs have been quizzing French authorities on why they are not doing more to tackle the crisis as migrant crossings continue to climb.
This week the milestone of 100,000 migrants completing the perilous 23-mile journey since 2018 was passed.
About 16,000 have arrived this year.
Tory MP for Dover, Natalie Elphicke, said: “These overcrowded and unseaworthy deathtraps should obviously be stopped by the French authorities from leaving the French coast in the first place.
“The time has come for joint patrols on the French coast and a cross-Channel security zone before any more lives are lost.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who convened an urgent meeting of the Small Boats Operational Command Gold, was kept updated throughout the day.
She said: “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic loss of life.”
Ministers last night insisted they would carry on with efforts to smash organised crime gangs intent on bringing migrants to the UK.
A government spokesperson said: “These deaths are devastating.
“This incident is sadly another reminder of the extreme dangers of crossing the Channel in small boats and how vital it is that we break the people smugglers’ business model and stop the boats.”
Authorities in Boulogne have now opened a judicial investigation into the latest Channel tragedy.
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The cause of the sinking was not clear, but it is likely to focus on the condition of the boat and how many were in it.
The incident is the deadliest in the Channel since 31 migrants drowned when their boat capsized in November 2021.
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