French prosecutors have launched a judicial investigation into the deliberate shipwreck on the French Riviera of a cargo vessel carrying more than 900 Iraqi Kurds, with the aim of charging the captain and crew.
Investigators are hunting for "three to five seamen at most," the prosecutor's office in the southern French town of Draguignan said.
If found, the culprits could be charged with helping illegal immigration and putting the lives of others in danger.
The suspects will also face accusations of forcing people to endure sub-standard living conditions.
No criminal charges will be brought against any of the passengers, the prosecutors' office added.
The lifeboat used by the crew when they abandoned the cargo ship was found yesterday close to the spot where the vessel ran aground.
French border police said the ship's owner and captain had both been identified as Iraqi nationals and both were wanted.
The authorities have not yet established whether the French coast was the chosen destination for the ill-fated ship. Several rescued migrants have said they had no idea where they were when the ship ran aground.
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin cautioned today against granting open-door asylum to the hundreds of Kurds rescued from the cargo vessel, saying such a move would reward immigrant smugglers worldwide.
AFP