French local authorities have said that four people died after a small boat sank in the Channel between France and Britain.
The dead were identified as two men and two women. At least 42 other people were rescued after the incident, which took place in strong currents off the coast of Boulogne.
According to François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, the four died after being swept away by strong currents while trying to board a dinghy.
The vessel was described as a taxi-boat, a type of boat that travels along stretches of the northern French and Belgian coasts and picks up refugees and migrants along the shore.
The incident adds to the ongoing dangers faced by people attempting to cross the Channel in small boats. French authorities have not provided further details in the source report about the wider circumstances of the sinking.
