At least four people died after a small dinghy carrying migrants to Britain sank in the English Channel, French authorities announced on Thursday.
In a press statement, local authorities in Calais added that a search and rescue operation was underway.
"A taxi-boat sinking occurred today. The situation is still being assessed and remains subject to change," the statement read.
The French prefect's office noted that the death toll is still "provisional".
Authorities confirmed that no less than 38 survivors are being cared for by emergency services, with one person suffering from hypothermia.
French media reported that the dead are two men and two women.
It added that the incident took place off the coast of Boulogne, between the beaches of Équihen and Écault, south of Calais.
Motoring dinghies, often called ‘taxi-boats’ by authorities, have been mostly deployed by traffickers along the French and Belgian coasts over the past year.
The “taxi-boat” sees traffickers collecting migrants directly from the sea, rather than from the beach, to evade border security trying to stop departures.
The incident comes one week following the death of three migrants while attempting to cross the Channel last week.
According to figures from the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, around 2,200 migrants have crossed the Channel into Britain during the first two months of 2026.
Latest UK government figures show that 462 people arrived in the UK via seven small boats in the first seven days of April across the English Channel.
In 2025, 41,472 people arrived in Britain via the same route last year according to latest stats.
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