A baby has died after a boat trying to cross the English Channel sank on Thursday night, French authorities said.
Officials said the overloaded migrant boat that sank started off the coast of Wissant in northern France.
Rescuers called to the scene rescued dozens of people, including some who were in the water.
Searches for more people at sea found an unconscious baby boy, who was later pronounced dead, officials said.
Boulogne-Sur-Mer prosecutor Guirec Le Bras said the child is believed to be of Iraqi-Kurdish nationality and had been on the boat with his parents and two other children.
Giving an update on the situation, he said: “The group of migrants of 68 people included 52 men, 12 women and four children.
“Among them, the lifeless body of a four-month-old baby was found.
“They were mainly of Iranian, Iraqi, Albanian and Eritrean nationalities.”
He said the city’s public prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation.
The local prefecture said earlier that when rescuers first arrived at the scene, they found a heavily loaded boat in distress with some people in the water.
As the rescue was underway, a search of the area was carried out to find anyone who might have been stranded at sea, and it was then that the baby was discovered, the prefecture said.
A French naval patrol boat and a helicopter were used during the rescue and rescue operations.
2024 is already the deadliest year for migrant crossings of the English Channel since 2018.
Dinghy boats now often carry 50 or more migrants, far more than in previous years. Many do not use life jackets for the dangerous crossing.
On September 3 six children and a pregnant woman were among 12 people who died after a boat carrying dozens of people sank off the French coast.
A month later, four people, including a two-year-old boydied after apparently being “trampled to death” on two separate boats.
The latest shipwreck brings the total number of deaths from migrants trying to cross the channel this year to at least 53.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is “absolutely determined” to tackle the smuggling gangs that facilitate the crossings.
Director of the Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, said: “We are devastated that a baby has died in yet another devastating and depressing tragedy in the Channel.
“People who take the crossing are fleeing war, conflict and persecution and simply want to be safe.
“Seeking to disrupt the smuggling gangs alone will never be enough,” he said, adding that the government should provide “safe and legal routes” for refugees.
According to Home Office figures, more than 26,000 migrants have arrived in Britain in small boats since the start of the year.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said deaths in the canal are “preventable”.