The incident happened this morning off the coast of Sangatte, close to Calais.

Around 50 migrants are understood to have fallen into the water shortly after 8am around 2km from the shoreline near Calais.

At least 45 people were rescued but French authorities are continuing to search for others still in the water.

The UK Border Force also confirmed it "is actively engaged in a search and rescue operation".

Two of the victims were provided with first aid after being rescued from the water but were pronounced dead by medics when taken to Calais.

The rescue operation was launched after a life jacket was spotted in the water.

The overloading of flimsy boats used in crossing attempts sometimes causes them to collapse, rip open and sink. Inflatables that are built to carry no more than 20 people often attempt the voyage with three times that many aboard, French maritime authorities said.

The public prosecutor's office in nearby Boulogne-sur-Mer has launched an investigation into the incident.

The rescue operation prompted a temporary halt to some of the commercial ferry services on the busy route between ports in northern France and the southern coast of the UK. Services from Dover to Calais were affected with delays of up to 120 minutes due to the rescue operation.

This year has been the deadliest ever for Channel crossings, with more than 50 people known to have been killed so far. Many drowned, while others suffocated in the crush of so many people being piled into small, cramped boats.

Last week, a baby girl died after she "slipped" from her father's hand when the dinghy they were in capsized.

Four migrants, including a two-year-old child, also died earlier this month in two separate incidents in similar crossing attempts. Last month, at least 20 migrants died in several shipwrecks in the Channel.

Home Office figures suggest more than 28,000 people have reached the UK via Channel crossings in 2024.

The number of arrivals is 8% higher than the same point in 2023, 26,116, and 25% lower than the 2022 of 37,603.

Wanda Wyporska, chief executive at refugee charity Safe Passage International, said of the Channel deaths this year: "We cannot normalise or accept this.

"This government must open safe routes urgently. Without them, the smugglers will continue to exploit the lack of safe alternatives for people fleeing war and persecution.

"We fear we will only see more people dying in their attempts to reach protection here."