At least three UK-bound migrants died on Monday morning when a mega-dinghy capsized in the English Channel off the coast at Wissant, near Calais. Dozens more people were severely injured in the incident, which happened first thing in the morning.
A spokesman for the Pas-de-Calais confirmed "a provisional total of three deaths and many more injured."
Provisional death toll confirmed
The spokesman's statement provided the first official figure for the tragedy, with the number of injuries described as extensive. The exact circumstances of the capsizing have not yet been detailed.
Prosecutors open criminal enquiries
The incident follows the deaths of three migrants last week as they scrambled for places on board a boat. French prosecutors have opened criminal enquiries into all the tragedies, and judicial police are investigating.
