At least 27 people have died after a suspected people-smuggling boat smashed against rocks and sank in rough seas off Australia’s Christmas Island, officials say. A further 42 survived.

The wooden boat - believed to have been carrying people from Iraq and Iran - had been heading for the island, which houses a detention centre for asylum-seekers.

Local people heard screams from the water and rushed to the shore to help, but they could only watch as the ship broke up.

Life jackets were thrown into the water to the survivors, but most of them could not swim and disappeared under the waves.

Australia has seen an increase this year in asylum-seekers arriving by boat. There are currently almost 3,000 people in the Christmas Island processing centre waiting for officials to rule on their cases.