Several people have died trying to cross the English Channel from France, authorities say

Several people were killed early Sunday morning in a failed attempt to cross the English Channel from northern France, French authorities said.

A rescue operation is underway and survivors of the tragedy have been taken to the sports hall in the northern town of Ambleteuse, according to a statement from the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais region.

Saturday's incident came nearly two weeks after a boat carrying migrants was torn apart in the English Channel while attempting to reach Britain from northern France, with dozens of them plunging into the dangerous waterway and leaving 13 dead, officials said.

On Saturday, French coast guard and navy ships rescued 200 people from the dangerous waters of the Pas-de-Calais region, according to a report by the French maritime authority for the English Channel and the North Sea.

They said they observed 18 attempted boat trips from France to Britain on Saturday.

According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 43 migrants have died or disappeared while trying to reach Britain this year before Saturday's accident.

In July, four migrants died while attempting to cross the border on a rubber dinghy that capsized and developed a hole. Five more people, including a child, died in another attempt in April. Five bodies were recovered from the sea or washed up on a beach after a migrant boat got into trouble in the darkness and winter cold of January.