The baby was found unconscious and was later declared dead. Initially, there had only been reports of one fatality without qualifying that it was an infant.

French authorities meanwhile confirmed that another 65 migrants were rescued following the incident, which took place off the coast of Wissant in France — about 20 kilometers west of Calais. The survivors were taken to the nearby port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where those requiring medical attention received health care.

There was no information immediately available on the nationalities and background of those rescued.

The rescue and recovery operation was coordinated by the French maritime prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea, using a French navy patrol boat as well as a helicopter provided by Belgian authorities, deployed from the nearby coastal town of Koksijde.

According to the Associated Press (AP) news agency, French rescuers were alerted to the departure of the overloaded boat and launched a rescue operation when they spotted that several people were in the sea.

Searches to find any further people continued for a while but later were called off once the area of the incident had been throughly combed; however, it is unclear if and how many migrants might still have been missing.

The public prosecutor's office in Boulogne meanwhile has launched an investigation into the shipwreck.

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Most fatal year in English Channel since 2018

The weather conditions of recent weeks have been particularly volatile, with gale-force winds and unusually high tides, but crossing attempts from the French and Belgian coasts have continued nevertheless. On certain days, hundreds of people manage to reach British shores via small boats.

In the last few months, there have been a series of fatal shipwrecks in the English Channel, making this year the deadliest in recent times. According to the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP), there have been 52 fatalities, in what is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, so far this year.

Many of the victims this year have been children and youths.

Four migrants, including a two-year-old child, died earlier this month in two separate incidents, and in September, at least 20 migrants drowned in a number of shipwrecks in the Channel.

Meanwhile, more than 27,500 people managed to reach Britain in small boats so far this year, usually departing from the French coast.

That number marks a five percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, and a 25 percent decrease compared to 2022.

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With AFP, Reuters, PA, dpa, AP