Three people, including a 10-year-old child, have died off the coast of northern France while attempting to cross the English Channel to the United Kingdom, French authorities have confirmed.
France's maritime police said they received a distress call in the early hours of Monday from an inflatable dinghy carrying 105 people that had run into trouble in calm seas off the coast of Wissant, a village approximately 14 miles (23km) from Calais.
The three passengers were treated on board but were later confirmed dead by an emergency medical team flown in by helicopter. Dozens of others were injured.
Francois-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, told a press conference that the deaths were likely caused by crushing rather than drowning. "Apparently there was no drowning, it was likely crushing - which is just as dreadful, especially if we think of the 10-year-old child," he said.
A spokesperson for the local prefecture confirmed "a provisional total of three deaths and many more injured," adding that "sea conditions were calm - the weather is good."
The vessel was described by authorities as a "water taxi" - a dinghy that approaches a beach from the sea to collect migrants in shallow water. The prefecture said the boat had arrived relatively empty from an inland waterway before picking up passengers from the beach at Wissant.
All 105 passengers requested rescue and were taken into care. The dinghy did not sink. By mid-morning, six rescue boats were still at the scene searching for people in the water.
A rescue vessel arrived at the port of Calais in the mid-morning and began disembarking those rescued from the incident. A coach, fire service vehicles and police were deployed at the scene.
Three bodies were also found last week following chaotic water taxi departures of a similar kind in northern France. Last week also saw two uncontrolled landings in the UK, where dinghies arrived on shore without being intercepted by authorities.
At least 17 people, including women and children, have died in the Channel this year while attempting to reach the UK. So far this year, 18,609 people have made the crossing - more than 40 percent fewer than at the same point last year, and more than 25 percent lower than at the equivalent stage in 2024, when 25,165 people had crossed.
At least 29 people lost their lives attempting the crossing last year, according to a tally based on official French and British sources. More than 41,000 people embarked on the dangerous journey across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes last year.
The northern beaches of France have become a key departure point for people without visas hoping to reach the UK. Many pay people smugglers to board unstable rubber dinghies for the crossing.
In April, France and the UK signed an agreement to strengthen operations aimed at preventing crossings, with a significant increase in human, technological and intelligence resources. Last month, a proposal by the Reform UK party to deploy the navy to intercept and return asylum seekers arriving by boat triggered a dispute with France, with the French Ministry of the Interior stating the measure would breach international law.
UK government sources said officials were aware of Monday's fatalities.
