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| - A body discovered on a beach in northern France is likely that of a teenage migrant who drowned trying to cross the English Channel with a friend in an inflatable boat, police said Wednesday. The friend, who said he was Sudanese, aged 16, was found on the beach in the early hours of Wednesday suffering from hypothermia. The pair's small vessel ran into trouble as they tried to make their way to Britain from France. The survivor told police his companion, of the same age, had gone missing at sea, local authorities told AFP. Rescuers were sent out to look for him, with helicopter backup, but to no avail. Hours later, a body was found on the beach at Sangatte in the Pas-de-Calais region. The body has not been formally identified, but local official Philippe Sabatier told AFP it was likely that of the missing boy. "This unbearable tragedy mobilises us even more... against smugglers who take advantage of the distress of human beings," Marlene Schiappa, France's minister delegate for citizenship issues, said on Twitter. Britain's interior minister Priti Patel tweeted: "This is an upsetting and tragic loss of a young life. "This horrendous incident serves as a brutal reminder of the abhorrent criminal gangs and people smugglers who exploit vulnerable people. Working together we are determined to stop them." Attempted migrant crossings from France to Britain have sharply increased this year and 50 more were rescued on Wednesday, including six children, the French authorities said. Five separate operations saw a total of 50 taken off makeshift boats during the morning. They were handed over to border police. Since January 1, authorities in northern France have recorded more than 350 attempts or crossings involving more than 4,000 migrants, compared with 203 attempts and 2,294 migrants for the whole of 2019. French maritime officials have rescued 1,014 migrants at sea attempting to cross the Channel in boats or even swimming, according to an AFP count. The issue has been a source of tension with Britain accusing France of not doing enough to stop the crossings. French authorities insist they are doing all they can. On Saturday, rescuers plucked 31 migrants in small boats, including four children, from the Channel in small boats. Last Friday, French officials saved 38 migrants from the water -- the busiest sea lane in the world. Judicial sources said this was the first migrant found dead on a northern French beach this year. Last year, four bodies were recovered in the Channel and on land after failed crossings. eva-kap/ech/mlr/bp/bsp
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