Four people have died after a small boat sank in the Channel between France and Britain, according to French local authorities.
The incident happened in strong currents off the coast of Boulogne, where at least 42 other people were rescued.
François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, said two men and two women died after being swept away by the currents while trying to board a dinghy.
The boat was described as a taxi-boat, a type of vessel that travels along stretches of the northern French and Belgian coasts to pick up refugees and migrants along the shore.
The sinking is the latest deadly incident involving small boats attempting the crossing in the Channel, where dangerous weather and sea conditions can quickly turn a journey into a rescue operation. French authorities said the rescue response recovered dozens of people from the water after the sinking.
No further details were included in the source about the identities of those who died or the condition of the rescued passengers.
