Reports from the French regional newspaper La Voix du Nord said at least five migrants died after their boat got into difficulty as they attempted to cross the Channel to Britain overnight.

The boat had been carrying about 112 migrants when it set out from the beach of Wimereux, according to the local prefect.

Around 100 people were rescued by a French navy boat and taken to the port of Boulogne.

One man who was among the survivors was in tears as he told La Voix du Nord that his four-year-old daughter needed urgent help.

At least three helicopters and search vessels were deployed in the search for more migrants, which was still underway on Tuesday morning.

Calm seas

Authorities in the north of France said in a statement that several migrant boats were seen attempting to leaving the Pas-de-Calais coast in the early morning. The BBC also reported seeing at least two boats departing, "unhindered" by French authorities.

After big storms a few weeks ago, the sea was described by the La Voix du Nord as being completely calm, conditions that usually lead to more departures of migrant boats from the French coast.

It is not yet clear what led to the deaths of the five migrants overnight. The boat they were traveling in was "very overcrowded," according to the statement from the French prefecture, and coast guard official, cited by the Reuters news agency, said the deaths occurred during a "crowd panic".

However, an anonymous French police source told the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) that "the circumstances of their death ... were not immediately clear."

'Tragedies have to stop'

The latest tragedy happened just hours after the British parliament passed the Safety of Rwanda bill into law despite attempts by the House of Lords to amend the bill.

The government says the new law will "stop the boats" and people crossing the Channel. But when asked by reporters, most migrants waiting in northern France say British laws will not deter them from attempting the crossing.

The British Home Secretary James Cleverly, visiting Italy on Tuesday to discuss policies on migration with his Italian counterpart, posted on X that his government was doing everything to stop the dangerous boat crossings.

Channel death toll rises

More than 6,250 people have reached the UK by crossing the Channel in boats so far this year, according to UK government statistics.

Several migrants have lost their lives attempting the dangerous journey.

At the beginning of March, a girl drowned when an overcrowded boat capsized in the canal that leads towards the French coast. In late February, a Turkish man and two others were reported missing in the Channel off Calais, reported AFP.

And in January, five people, including a 14-year-old Syrian boy, died near Wimereux while trying to board a boat off the beach.

French authorities say at least 12 people died in 2023 while attempting to cross the Channel.

With AP, Reuters, AFP