Eight dead after attempting to cross the Channel

According to French police, eight people died last night while attempting to cross the Channel from France to England.

Rescue services were called after the boat got into difficulty in waters north of Boulogne-sur-mer in Pas-de-Calais after 01:00 local time (00:00 BST).

The rubber boat set sail with 50 people on board and began to sink shortly after leaving shore.

The news comes less than two weeks after 12 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, died when a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank.

The incident on September 3 was the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year.

A British government spokesman confirmed the incident and said French authorities were leading the response and investigation.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said it was “appalling” to hear of “further loss of life” in the Channel.

He told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that people “were obviously not able to cross the Channel” because they had seen the types of dinghies people were using.

He also reiterated the government’s plan to work with European partners to tackle criminal people-smuggling gangs and discourage people from crossing the border by boat.

Regional prefect Jacques Billant will give a press conference at 10am local time in the town of Ambleteuse.

There have been several attempts to cross the Channel over the past two days as the weather has calmed down.

According to French maritime authorities, 200 people were rescued in a 24-hour period on Friday and Saturday.

The French coast guard and other emergency services rescued people aboard four separate boats: one with 61, another with 55 and two others each with 48 and 36.

During the day, eighteen crossing attempts were checked by authorities.

Including the latest eight victims, a total of 45 people have died in the Channel this year, the highest number since 2021, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.

This year more than 21,000 people crossed the Channel.