A ten-year-old boy and two women have died after they were believed to have been crushed in a mega-dinghy while attempting to cross the Channel today.
Dozens more were severely injured in the incident off Wissant, a few miles south of Calais, early this morning. It had earlier been thought that the three victims drowned.
Francois-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, told a press conference on Monday morning: 'Apparently there was no drowning, it was likely crushing which is just as dreadful, especially if we think of the ten-year-old child.'
One emergency worker at the scene said: 'An investigation has already started into how they lost their lives.'
There were no immediate details about the names of the deceased, but they are believed to have been Eritrean asylum seekers.
There were around 105 people on board the mega-dinghy, which was described by the local prefecture as a 'water taxi'.
This means it arrived relatively empty from an inland waterway, before picking up passengers from the beach at the town of Wissant.
A group who had been rescued from the mega-dinghy were given survival blankets by emergency workers
Police officers stand guard at the port of Calais, France, after three migrants, including one child, died while attempting to cross the Channel
Migrants leave on a bus at the rescue area at the port of Calais, France
'Sea conditions were calm – the weather is good,' said the Prefecture spokesman.
By 10.30am local time, six rescue boats were still surrounding the scene of the capsize, looking for survivors.
'These days of autumn, when the weather is still good but the sea is already starting to become dangerous' are delicate periods, the prefect said.
'It is during these times that crossings are the most dangerous,' he said.
Responding to reports, the Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: 'We're deeply saddened to hear about the deaths in France today.
'It is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people for profit, and we will continue to work relentlessly.
'It's the Prime Minister's promise to do more to prevent these perilous journeys from happening.'
It follows the death of three migrants as they scrambled for places on board a boat last week.
French prosecutors have opened criminal enquiries into all the tragedies, and judicial police are investigating.
The latest deaths mean that at least 24 people, including women and children, have died in the Channel this year as they tried to get to Britain.
Many have drowned, while others have been crushed to death in overcrowded boats.
The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK – the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.
Multiple attempts at crossings have taken place from the coast of northern France over the last few days, as the smugglers take advantage of calm seas and good weather.
According to figures from the Home Office, 781 migrants arrived in Britain last Wednesday – the highest single-day total recorded so far this year.
In total, 18,565 migrants have reached England via this route since January, a figure down by more than 40 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.
Rescued migrants collect survival blankets after getting off an emergency response boat
A migrant sits inside a bus at the port of Calais, France
Migrants gather as they try to leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach Britain, from the Petit-Fort-Philippe beach in Gravelines this morning
In a separate incident, migrants clashed with French police as they attempt to cross The Channel from Gravelines this morning
Last week also saw two 'uncontrolled landings' in which migrant boats reached the UK without being intercepted by the authorities.
In further chaotic scenes, a dinghy launched from near Bayeux, in Normandy, made a record 38-hour voyage.
They launched just before 10am on Monday and, on Tuesday afternoon, were picked up by RNLI lifeboats and later transferred to a Border Force cutter.
The 51 migrants aboard were eventually brought ashore to Dover in the early hours of Wednesday.