Eight dead after Channel crossing attempt - French officials

Eight people have died overnight while trying to cross the Channel from France to England, French police say.

Rescue services were alerted 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 vessel left with 50 people on board and started to sink not long after leaving the coast.

It 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 3 September was the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year.

A UK Government spokesperson confirmed the incident and said French authorities were leading the response and investigation.

Regional prefect Jacques Billant is set to hold a news conference in the town of Ambleteuse at 10:00 local time.

There has been a spate of crossing attempts in the last two days with the arrival of calmer weather.

French maritime authorities said that 200 people were rescued in a 24-hour period over Friday and Saturday.

The French coast guard and other first responders rescued people onboard four separate boats - one with 61, another with 55, and two others with 48 and 36 each.

Eighteen attempted crossings were monitored by authorities over the course of the day.

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

More than 21,000 people have crossed the Channel this year.