Two children were among three people who died after a small boat carrying migrants got into difficulty in the English Channel overnight, French authorities said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred off the coast of Pas-de-Calais near the town of Sangatte, regional prosecutor Laurent Touvet said. Thirty-eight people were aboard the dinghy; 35 were rescued and taken ashore at about 5 a.m., and one person was successfully resuscitated by emergency services after entering the water, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
Touvet told reporters investigators believed the three fatalities were "crushed at the bottom of the boat," and French authorities said they blamed smuggling gangs for the tragedy. A third vessel also got into difficulty overnight, with three people reported missing, the regional authorities said.
French police, firefighters, civil protection volunteers and sea rescue teams were mobilised and were publicly thanked by authorities for their response. French officials posted on X that they were "determined to combat" the trafficking networks they said exploited vulnerable people attempting the crossing.
The deaths follow a separate incident on Tuesday in the Channel in which a woman was airlifted to shore by the UK Coastguard and later pronounced dead. Kent Police said officers were notified shortly after 1 p.m.; a spokesperson said the force was conducting inquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding that incident.
A UK government statement said Border Force responded to reports of a migrant boat in distress at 12:45 p.m. and that one passenger was found unresponsive and given CPR but later died. The statement added the government was "shocked and saddened by this tragic incident" and reiterated warnings about the dangers of small boat crossings.
Channel crossings have risen sharply in recent years. British government figures show more than 30,000 people have arrived in the UK on small boats so far this year, and at least 23 people have died trying to make the crossing since the start of the year, according to authorities and media reports.
The incidents come as the UK government considers measures to reduce illegal crossings and manage accommodation for people who arrive. Ministers have discussed repurposing parts of Royal Air Force bases to house migrants, with RAF Scampton among sites reportedly under consideration. A recent reshuffle replaced every minister in the Home Office and the new Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said Britain is exploring tougher steps to secure cooperation from countries that decline to accept returns.
Mahmood told reporters on Monday that the government was considering the suspension of visas for countries that refuse to enter returns agreements, saying such measures would be part of coordinated action with allied countries. The proposal aims to increase pressure on governments to repatriate their nationals who have no legal right to remain in the UK.
French and British authorities continue rescue and investigative work in the wake of the latest incidents, with both sides under pressure to step up enforcement against smugglers and to improve measures to prevent further loss of life on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.