Four people have died off the coast of northern France after attempting to board a boat to take them across the English Channel, local authorities have said.

Two men and two women died after they "tried to board a water taxi" and "the currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away", the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said at a news conference, adding that the death toll was still "provisional".

Thirty-eight people were rescued, three of whom were treated as emergencies by authorities, including two children taken to hospital as a precaution.

The boat continued its journey towards the UK, carrying around 30 people.

A UK government spokesperson said they were "deeply saddened" to hear about the deaths.

"Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit," the spokesperson said.

"We will continue working relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys."

Rescue efforts began at first light on Thursday morning - around 07:30 local time (06:30 BST) - after the incident off the coast of Saint-Etienne-au-Mont, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer in Pas-de-Calais.

Francois-Xavier Lauch, the representative of the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, said the four who died were "already quite far into the sea".

It brings the total number of confirmed deaths linked to migrant crossings in the English Channel to six, after the UN's International Organization for Migration agency recorded two cases earlier this year.

The number of attempted crossings has risen in recent days due to the calm weather in the Channel.

It follows reports in French media that the French government had rejected a proposal from UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to deploy British Border Force vessels in order to intercept and return small boats.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said crossing the Channel on "often faulty and defective dinghies is immensely dangerous and puts lives at risk".

He added: "Labour's weak approach which allows these crossings to continue is causing lives to be lost, and their unwillingness to take decisive action on illegal immigration is fuelling this crisis.

"Stopping the crossings requires more than disruption on the beaches. It requires the swift removal of those who enter illegally so the incentive to make these dangerous journeys disappears."

Imran Hussain, director of external affairs at the Refugee Council charity, said dangerous Channel crossings would not be prevented unless the UK opened up more "safe routes".

"A lack of safe routes to the UK has left people feeling they have no other choice to rebuild their lives," he said.

"Policing the Channel alone is not enough to prevent dangerous crossings. The government should work closely with our European neighbours to share responsibility and create more safe pathways for people to come to the UK without taking dangerous journeys."

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

Over the past three years, crossings in the Channel have increased, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025.

Between 1 January and 7 April 2026, a total of 4,903 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.

This is 28% lower than the number who had reached the UK by this point in 2025, which was 6,796, although weather conditions may have played a part in this.

People smugglers have begun using taxi-boats as a tactic to avoid police.

Instead of inflating their boats in the dunes along the coast, close to police patrols, the people smuggling gangs are launching them from better hidden locations, often dozens of kilometres from the main departure beaches.

They then cruise along the coastline, like taxis or buses, picking up their paying customers who now wait in the sea, out of reach of the police. (BBC)

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