Tragedy at sea claims 31 lives in deadliest day of Channel crisis

At least 31 people including five women and a young girl have died trying to cross the Channel to the UK in an inflatable dinghy, officials say, in what is the deadliest incident since the current crisis began.

Two survivors are in intensive care while police have arrested four people suspected of being linked to the drownings. The International Organisation for Migration said it was the biggest single loss of life in the Channel since it began collecting data in 2014.

He said 34 people were believed to have been on before it sank. Authorities found 31 bodies and the two survivors while one person was missing.

It is unclear what country the victims originally came from, Darmanin added.

A rescue operation is under way in the Channel by air and sea as French and British authorities search for anyone still in the water.

Refugee charities urged the government to save lives by opening safe routes for asylum seekers to apply to come to the UK without taking to the sea.

An emergency search was sparked at about 2pm when a fishing boat sounded the alarm after spotting several people at sea off the coast of France.