Two migrants have died and dozens of others were rescued after a boat sank in the English Channel, the French coastguard said.
A rescue operation was launched on Wednesday off the coast of Calais after a life jacket was spotted in the sea.
Some 48 people were recovered in the search, and first aid was given to two unconscious people brought on board the Minck ship.
They were later confirmed dead in Calais, the French maritime prefecture said.
The deaths come after a UN report revealed that 2024 has already become the deadliest for migrant crossings of the English Channel.
So far this year, 52 people have died on the route while the latest incident would take the total of 54.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says the deaths are “preventable” and is calling for more safe and legal ways for migrants to travel to the UK.
A UK government spokesperson said it wanted to see an end to the crossings, which “undermine our border security and put lives at risk”.
Earlier this month four people, including a two-year-old boy, died while attempting to cross the English Channel.
The authorities said they were found "unconscious" and were likely "trampled to death" in two separate boats that had engine failures.
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau called the deaths a "terrible tragedy".
He added that that people smugglers "have the blood of these people on their hands".
Dr Peter Walsh, senior researcher at University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, told the BBC the route had become more deadly since 2022, with more deaths despite fewer crossings.
