Four people, including two children, have died in separate attempts to cross the Channel to the UK in the past 24 hours, while three others remain missing.
On Tuesday night, three people died off the coast of Sangatte, France, after a dinghy carrying 38 passengers ran into trouble. In another incident near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, three people went missing from a boat carrying 115 people.
Earlier on Tuesday, a woman was airlifted to Dover from UK waters but could not be saved.
French officials said attempts to cross have surged in recent days, with more than 1,000 people reaching the UK on Sunday alone.
Two of the dead are believed to be from Vietnam, and one from Egypt.
Pas-de-Calais préfet Laurent Touvet blamed smuggling networks for the deaths, calling it a difficult and tragic night.
But aid groups argued that tougher policing in France and a lack of safe routes to Britain are making crossings deadlier.
Lachlan Macrae, of Calais Food Collective, said people are now hiding lifejackets to avoid being targeted by police.
Enver Solomon, of the Refugee Council, described the deaths as heartbreaking and needless, stressing that people only risk the Channel when fleeing greater dangers at home.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, 85 people died attempting the crossing in 2024, with 24 more recorded this year up to mid-August.
The UK government confirmed French authorities are leading investigations into the latest tragedies. More than 30,000 people have reached the UK by small boat so far in 2025.
