The escape boat thought to have been used by the captain and crew of the vessel that ran aground off the French Riviera packed with more than 900 Kurdish migrants has been found.
The boat, which was marked in Greek, had been damaged with an axe "as if someone had wanted to scuttle it to cover their tracks," a French police spokesman said.
The boat was found not far from the location where rescuers landed the migrants after they had spent more than a week at sea aboard the East Sea.
A second lifeboat found on board the ship before it sank early 5this morning had also been damaged with an axe.
A arrest warrant has been issued for the crew of the Syrian-owned ship who are thought to have deliberately steered it onto the rocks after charging the migrants, mainly from Iraq, thousands of dollars for the journey to Europe.
None of the Kurds was hurt in the boat, but many were exhausted and dehydrated and 16 have been taken to hospital, according to Red Cross officials.
AFP