Five people including a child have died in an attempt to cross the Channel near the town of Wimereux, south of Calais, French authorities have said.
The prefect’s office in Pas-de-Calais said that around 5am on Tuesday morning, a small boat “carrying more than 110 people” had departed near the Plage des Allemands beach at Wimereux.
“After at first hitting a sandbank, the boat had continued to sea,” the prefect’s office said.
In a statement, the prefect’s office said there appeared to have been a movement of people in the overloaded boat which led to several victims.
A provisional assessment reported five deaths, of three men, a woman and a child, reportedly aged four, and one person slightly injured.
The Calais prefect had travelled to the scene. The public prosecutor at Boulogne-sur-Mer has opened an inquiry “to shed light on the circumstances of this dramatic event”.
The incident comes hours after Rishi Sunak’s government passed legislation to allow it to deport asylum seekers who arrive in the UK on small boats to Rwanda.
Following the reports of deaths in the Channel, the UK home secretary, James Cleverly, said on X: “These tragedies have to stop. I will not accept a status quo which costs so many lives. This government is doing everything we can to end this trade, stop the boats and ultimately break the business model of the evil people-smuggling gangs, so they no longer put lives at risk.”
More than 6,000 migrants and refugees have already made the journey so far this year – a rise of about a quarter on the same period last year.
Matthew Rycroft, the most senior civil servant in the Home Office, who has overseen the Rwanda scheme for two years, previously told MPs he did not have evidence to show it would have a deterrent effect that would make it value for money.
The deal will cost £1.8m for each of the first 300 deportees, the National Audit Office has confirmed.
The UK’s minister for countering illegal migration, Michael Tomlinson, said there had been deaths in the Channel now for nine consecutive months. Asked about the reports on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: “It is absolutely chilling to hear that.”
The Channel between France and Britain is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making the crossing on small boats dangerous. People smugglers typically overload rickety dinghies, often leaving them barely afloat as they try to reach British shores.
The French association Osmose 62, which helps asylum seekers and refugees in northern France, was in Wimereux. Dany Patoux, a volunteer, told France 3 regional television, that he had been present when some of the people who had been on the failed crossing made it back to shore.
He said he had seen the father of the child who died. “We knew the little girl well. We have photos with her, where she has a big smile in the hope of a better life. But now it’s all ruined. Her father fell into our arms just now. He is in tears, he is in a terrible state. He saw his daughter die before his eyes.”
The Refugee Council in the UK described the deaths as “devastating” and “all the more tragic” coming just hours after the Rwanda bill was passed.
Enver Solomon, the council’s chief executive, said: “It is shocking to learn of the terrible loss of yet more lives in the Channel this morning. Our thoughts go out to the families and loved ones of those affected. This is another devastating human tragedy that could and should have been avoided, and for it to happen just hours after the government’s Rwanda bill became law makes it all the more tragic.
“The only sustainable way to reduce dangerous journeys … is for the government to reduce the need for desperate people to take desperate actions. Instead of hostile, headline-grabbing legislation, we need to see safe routes for those fleeing conflict and persecution, including more options for family reunion, refugee visas, and cooperation with our European neighbours.”