Three dead in migrant Channel crossing accident

Three people died on Monday off the coast of France while attempting illegally to cross the Channel to the United Kingdom, French authorities said.

"A shipwreck involving a taxi boat occurred today off the coast of Wissant," a seaside village in northern France, the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais region said.

"Taxi boat" refers to a dinghy that approaches the beach from the sea to pick up migrants in shallow waters off the beach.

The initial death toll stood at three, it said.

All passengers on board asked to be rescued and were taken into care, said the maritime prefecture, adding that the dinghy had not sunk.

A rescue boat arrived at the port of Calais in the mid-morning, where it began disembarking people rescued from the accident, an AFP correspondent saw.

A coach, as well as fire service and police vehicles, were deployed at the scene, they said.

France has long been a launchpad for asylum seekers without visas hoping to cross the Channel to start a better life in Britain.

They pay smugglers thousands of dollars to board unstable rubber dinghies to make the journey across one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Three bodies were found last week after chaotic "taxi boat" departures of this kind in northern France.

At least 22 people have died this year trying to cross the Channel, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.

At least 29 lost their lives last year, according to the same tally.

A total of 781 people arrived in Britain on Wednesday last week after crossing the Channel on small boats -- a daily record for 2026 -- although numbers remain below previous years.