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Two migrants died off the coast of France while trying to cross the English Channel.
Six other migrants were rescued, one of whom was taken to hospital.
This comes a day after the government signed an extension with France on current coastal patrol arrangements as part of efforts to reduce numbers Channel crossing.
The French maritime prefecture said the latest incident started when a small boat came ashore at Gravelines, near Calais, at around 9.30am on Wednesday.
A group of about 30 migrants was waiting for him.
Eight people were pulled into rescue boats when they got into trouble, but two migrants could not be rescued, officials said.
The group of migrants, including children, were seen having difficulty boarding the small boat.
At least 12 French police officers were present in the Gravelines beach area at that time.
A French navy helicopter carried out a search as part of efforts to ensure no one was left in the water, French authorities said.
Migrants struggle to board small boats off the coast of France. photo: PA
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood signed a two-month extension of the current agreement with France regarding Strait crossings, while the countries worked out a longer-term agreement.
It came hours before the £478m deal, put in place in 2023 by the then Tory government, was due to expire.
The package was set up to fund a new detention center in France and hundreds of additional law enforcement officers in the region.
Tuesday’s extension means the operational contract will continue to be funded by £16.2 million of UK government money.
French authorities on the beach at Gravelines. Photo: PA
An Interior Ministry spokesman said Mahmood “did a hard bargain” with Paris to gain “more benefits”.
Mahmood previously allegedly pushed for the new deal to include a performance-related clause that would link funding to the proportion of ships intercepted by France.
Some 4,441 migrants arrived in the first three months of 2026, according to the latest Home Office data.
This number is 33% lower than the number reaching the UK in 2025, namely 6,642.
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Refugee charity Care4Calais said it was a “tragedy that two more lives have been lost at our deadly border” and called for a “safe route” to be introduced so people can claim asylum in the UK.
