Five migrants trying to cross the Channel to Britain died in French waters in the early hours of Sunday, French local authorities said.

The small boat overturned as it attempted to launch from a beach in Wimereux, south of Calais, an official told Reuters, adding that one person in critical condition had been taken to hospital in Boulogne, northern France.

(Cover: UK Border Force Cutter "Typhoon" carries migrants as it returns to the Marina in Dover, England, January 13, 2024. /CFP)