Two bodies have been found adrift at sea after more than 50 migrants were rescued in the English Channel.
A rescue operation was launched after a boat got into difficulty because of engine failure off the coast of northern France, overnight on Monday into Tuesday.
A total of 51 people were rescued and dropped at the quayside at Boulogne where they were attended to by emergency services, a spokesperson for the French maritime prefecture said.
Meanwhile, a ferry reported to French authorities that a body had been seen adrift off the coast of Calais on Tuesday, which prompted a search by a patrol boat, which discovered two bodies in total.
It is not confirmed whether the bodies found were those of migrants. They were taken to the quayside in Calais, and an investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office.
Before the latest report, the number of people who had died while trying to cross the Channel this year stood at 50, according to incidents recorded by the French coastguard.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) also reports 11 more migrant deaths believed to be linked to crossing attempts so far in 2024, separate to Tuesday’s incident.
Refugee charities have previously said deaths in the Channel have become “appallingly regular” and have urged the government to establish safe, alternative routes to stop more fatalities of people trying to make the dangerous crossing.
It comes as 263 people arrived in the UK after making the journey in four boats on Wednesday, according to latest Home Office figures, bringing the provisional total for the year so far to 31,535.
A ringleader of a “prolific” people smuggling gang thought to be behind 10,000 Channel crossings was also jailed for 15 years on Tuesday, with a string of other members also convicted.
A court in Lille, northern France, found 18 defendants guilty after a trial.
The group was prosecuted in the wake of a 2022 police operation across Europe which led to dozens of arrests in Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands, with more than 100 boats, 1,000 life jackets, engines and cash being seized.
The convictions come after Sir Keir Starmer said the government will “treat people smugglers like terrorists” as he announced a further £75m for his border security command during a speech at the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has not committed to a target or timeframe for curbing Channel crossings but pledged the government would “try and make progress as rapidly as possible”.
