French maritime authorities said on Sunday that eight men trying to cross the English Channel from France to Britain died after the vessel they were traveling in got into distress.

The men's deaths bring to 46 the number of fatalities among people trying to cross the Channel from France so far this year, according to Jacques Billant, the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region.

Twelve people died earlier this month when their boat capsized in the perilous waterway.

What do we know about the disaster?

Billant said rescue crews had been alerted that a boat with 59 passengers was in trouble off the coast of Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais area.

"A new drama took place around one in the morning and we deplore the death of eight people," he told a news conference.

"[The vessel] quickly got into difficulty and ran aground ... The boat was torn apart on the rocks," he said

He said the other 51 people who had been on the vessel were now being cared for by rescue and medical crews.

The survivors came from Eritrea, Sudan, Syria, Egypt, Iran and Afghanistan, he added.

Six people were taken to hospital "in relative emergency," including a 10-month-old baby with hypothermia, according to Billant.

Ongoing problem

The Channel is made particularly dangerous by the strong currents prevailing in its waters, which put small boats at great risk. 

Despite this, many people fleeing war or poverty in their homelands are willing to put their lives in danger by attempting the crossing.

On September 14 alone, there were eight attempts to cross the Channel from France, with some 200 people rescued, according to Billant.

More than 22,000 migrants have arrived in England by crossing the Channel since the beginning of this year, according to British officials. 

The newly-elected Labour government has pledged to crack down on criminal gangs who offer such crossings to would-be migrants, after the previous Conservative government made "Stop the Boats" one of its main slogans.

However, migration experts say that the attempts will not stop while millions live under conditions made unbearable by conflict or lack of adequate food and water supplies.

Many call for offering legal and safe alternatives to people wishing to migrate to Britain as a partial solution to the problem.

tj/rc (AFP, AP)