At least five migrants, including a child, died overnight trying to cross the Channel from France to Britain on their overcrowded small boat, local authorities said.
Three men and a woman were also among those killed on the dinghy carrying 110 people from the beach in the town of Wimereux, close to the resort of Boulogne-sur-Mer, the local government office told AFP.
"After hitting a sand bank, the boat made it back out to sea. A crush then appears to have happened on board the overcrowded boat, leading to several casualties," they said, without providing further details.
On Tuesday morning, police had cordoned off the beach, an AFP journalist said.
La Voix du Nord newpaper said about 100 migrants had been rescued early this morning, with three helicopters and several rescue boats taking part in the operation.
The migrants had attempted to cross when the sea was calm but the temperature was barely above zero degrees Celsius.
A coast guard spokesperson said its agents were still operating at sea after what the official called a "busy" morning, with several crossing attempts.
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Stopping the flow of migrants is a priority for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government, which says the Rwanda plan will act as a deterrent.
Human rights groups and other critics say it is inhumane.
'These tragedies have to stop'
So far this year at least 15 people have died trying to reach English shores, according to an AFP tally.
On 3 March, a seven-year-old Iraqi girl named Rola drowned in the capsizing of an overcrowded migrant boat in the Aa canal, around 30 kilometres inland from France's northern coast. Her parents and brothers survived.
People attempting to reach Britain have increasingly been boarding boats on inland waterways to avoid stepped-up patrols on the French coast.
In late February, a 22-year-old Turkish man died and two more people went missing in the Channel off Calais.
In January, five people including a 14-year-old Syrian died in Wimereux as they waded through chilly seawater to reach a boat off the coast.
Twelve migrants lost their lives last year trying to cross the Channel, French authorities say.
British officials processed 5,373 migrants landing on the shores of southeast England in the first three months of this year after crossing the Channel in small vessels, the British interior ministry says.
"These tragedies have to stop. I will not accept a status quo which costs so many lives," UK interior minister James Cleverley said on X.
"This government is doing everything we can to end this trade, stop the boats and ultimately break the business model of the evil people smuggling gangs, so they no longer put lives at risk."
Tens of thousands of migrants, many fleeing wars and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, have reached Britain in recent years by crossing the Channel in small boats on risky journeys organised by people-smuggling gangs.
The Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and currents are strong, making the crossing on small boats dangerous.
The people smugglers typically overload the boats, leaving them barely afloat and at risk of being lashed by the waves as they try to reach British shores.
