Three migrant women found dead 'from heart attacks' on board boat in the English Channel
Three migrants have been found dead on board a boat in the English Channel off the coast of Dunkirk.
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The French coastguard said the bodies were found this morning.
French authorities said they were alerted to the migrant boat from 6am local time departing from the Dunkirk area and sent a search and rescue vessel to monitor the situation.
At around 6.30am the rescue ship identified three unconscious individuals on board.
The victims were brought ashore where they were confirmed dead. All three women are believed to have suffered heart attacks on board.
French officials have not said how many people were on board the boat or whether it was allowed to continue on to UK shores.
A fourth migrant – a man – also died when his dinghy got into difficulty in a separate incident off the coast of Dannes.
Up to 700 migrants are believed to have crossed the Channel in small boats yesterday as good weather conditions led to more attempts.
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French police are facing criticism after officers on duty claimed they have been ordered not to stop migrants getting into boats bound for Britain.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp confronted officers on Hardelot beach yesterday.
He was told by one French officer: “Our order is to let them go. We just have to say to them, ‘Don’t do that. It’s dangerous’.”
Mr Philp then asked: “So your orders are not to intervene,” to which the police officers replied: “We have to protect them.”
France rarely intervenes in Channel crossing in shallow water due to claims that it will risk migrant lives.
They have however sometimes deemed it necessary to slash dinghies with knives.
In April, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year £662m agreement with France to stop illegal migrants from crossing the English Channel.
The deal was said to involve France deploying millions of pounds worth of drones, two helicopters, and a camera system to intercept people smugglers and illegal migrants, as well as at least 50 police officers, trained in "riot and crowd control tactics", drafted in to tackle violence and "hostile crowds".