AT LEAST one person has died after an overcrowded boat carrying more than 60 migrants ran into trouble in the Channel.
The vessel was around 8km from the French coast when it started to deflate and sink at around 1am.
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One person has been confirmed dead and another is in a critical condition.
Survivors have been rushed to hospital in Calais, the French Coastguard said.
Authorities say 66 people were on board the stricken boat.
Those on board the boat were mainly families from Africa and Iraq, said a spokesman for local emergency services.
A spokesman for the emergency services said: “Two of the rescued were found unconscious.
“One of them could not be resuscitated and died. The other victim, whose life is in danger, was evacuated by helicopter to Calais hospital.”
By 8am, the search-and-rescue operation was ongoing, with helicopters involved.
It was the first attempted crossing by a small boat for 11 days because of poor weather in the Channel.
It had been organised by people smugglers, meaning a criminal enquiry will be launched into the tragedy.
Following the fatal sinking, a second boat capsized off Sangatte beach, in Calais, a few hours later.
The accident left 30 people including children in the water, and one man “in a life threatening condition”.
There were around 80 people on board as it tried to launch into the English Channel.
The spokesman added: “Many were able to get off safely, but around 30 ended up in deep water.
“One was left in a life-threatening condition when the boat begin to sink. Firefighters treated children and adult suffering from hyperthermia, while cardiac massage was performed on the man.”
The second capsizing took place between 7.30am and 8am, and land-based rescuers were first on the scene.
Some 730 people made attempted the crossing from France to England in the first three days of December, when the sea was calm.
At least 29,000 people have reached the UK in small boats this year, despite the British government saying “stopping the boats” is a priority.
It comes after The Sun reported how gangs are offering illegal migrants festive discounts on Channel crossings.
Ads for people smugglers’ cut-price deals have appeared on social media.
One Albanian advert on TikTok boasts of a “100 per cent success rate” for entry into the UK.
Another account advertised journeys that normally cost £8,000 per person for £5,000 over Christmas.
Meanwhile on Instagram, a page offered a space on a lorry at a “sale price” for a December 20 trip.
Another post read: “One person, £6,000. Two people, £5,000 each.”
One ad even offers to smuggle people in by plane for £14,000 per person.
MPs warned gangs will seek to use the Tory civil war over immigration as part of their marketing campaigns.
Earlier this week, Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill, designed to deter migrants from making the dangerous journey across the Channel, cleared its first hurdle – but rebel Tory MPs warned they could still wreck it.
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