The search for bodies of those who died when their dinghy sank in the Channel has been called off.

Four people, including a teenager, died in the incident after as many as 47 people entered the water off the coast of Dungeness in the early hours of Wednesday.

It is thought four more are missing presumed dead.

A phone call was made at 2.53am from one man whose family were in the water. Screams could be heard in the background.

“Please help me bro, please, please, please. We are in the water and we have a family,” he said.

The people on board the boat included men, women and children from Senegal, Afghanistan, India and Iraq.

The search and rescue operation was launched after authorities were first alerted to the incident at 3.05am on Wednesday.

But, just over 36 hours later, the search has been called off.

Kent County Council (KCC) leader Roger Gough told a council meeting yesterday a teenager was among the fatalities and 12 of the 39 people rescued from the freezing water on Wednesday were lone migrant children who have now been taken into the authority’s care.

The tragedy, he reportedly said, was a “sobering reminder of the human costs of what is an ongoing crisis”.

On the same evening evening, a spokeswoman for the Government said the extensive search coordinated by HM Coastguard was concluded at 5pm.

“A total of 43 people were recovered from the water, sadly including four fatalities," she said.

“Our thoughts continue to be with those affected by this tragic incident and with the families of those who have lost their lives.

“We would like to thank everyone involved in the search and rescue operation.”

A fisherman and his crew helped save 31 people from the freezing water.

The search on Wednesday involved 14 boats from both sides of the channel, as well as four helicopters and a fixed wing plane.

Co-ordinated by the British Coastguard, the water-based teams include four lifeboats, four coastguard rescue teams, three military vessels (including one from France) and three fishing boats that were in the area at the time.

Police and ambulance services were also deployed alongside the air ambulance to assist casualties when they were brought ashore.

Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke called for urgent action to prevent further tragedies following the tragedy.

“The tragic loss of life in the English Channel underlines the urgency of ending the small boats crisis," she said.

“The criminal gangs behind these dangerous journeys have a callous disregard for human life.

"They won’t stop unless they are made to by Britain and France. That’s why the Prime Minister should meet urgently with President Macron to agree a joint Channel patrol on the beaches to stop the boats getting in the water - and a joint Channel patrol to protect lives.

"Urgent action is needed now.”

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Suella Braverman is changing the law so asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in small boats can be detained for "a period of not more than 96 hours" in holding facilities, unless a longer period is granted by the government.

Under previous rules, asylum seekers could only be detained for up to 24 hours, but as of January 5, the time they can be held in short-term processing facilities like Manston has been quadrupled.

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister unveiled a raft of new measures to curb Channel crossings and tackle the backlog of asylum claims.

Rishi Sunak told the Commons “unless we act now and decisively, this will only get worse” as he announced plans to establish a new “small boats operational command” dedicated to tackling the journeys to the UK.