Several people died, including a young child, when an overcrowded boat attempted to cross the Channel to the United Kingdom, French authorities said on Saturday.
A French vessel responded to a distress call on Saturday morning, according to a statement from the Pas-de-Calais prefecture in northern France.
It picked up 14 people from the dinghy, the statement said, some injured and others already dead.
"Yet again, several migrants lost their lives trying to reach Britain by crossing the Channel," the prefecture said.
According to French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, the victims included a child who was "trampled to death".
"The smugglers have the blood of these people on their hands and our government will intensify the fight against these gangs who enrich themselves by organising these deadly crossings," he posted on social media.
French officials said the accident was not a shipwreck and the dead child had been found in the boat, not in the water.
Local reports estimated the child's age at around four years.
Death toll
The dinghy continued towards British waters with the rest of its passengers, the prefecture said.
Other rescue operations were underway in the Channel on Saturday afternoon, it told broadcaster Franceinfo.
The latest tragedy comes after eight people died in mid-September when their overcrowded vessel capsized while trying to cross the Channel.
Around 50 people have died in its waters this year so far.
French minister says EU, UK need 'migration treaty' after Channel deaths
The French and British governments have sought to stop the flow of undocumented migrants, who may pay smugglers thousands of euros per head for the passage from France to England aboard small boats.
France's new right-wing prime minister, Michel Barnier, said earlier this week that the country needed a stricter immigration policy.
He vowed to be "ruthless" with people traffickers, who he said "exploit misery and despair".
(with AFP)
