A two-year-old boy, a woman and two men have died in “two tragedies” in the English Channel.

The Prefect of Pas-de-Calais region, Jacques Billant, said that in the first incident today, the French coastguard responded to a boat carrying almost 90 people on board, which was suffering engine failure.

A total of 15 people were recovered from onboard to a tow vessel called l’Abeille, including the boy, who was unconscious.

Despite a medical team being scrambled by helicopter, he was declared dead.

The French interior minister Bruno Retailleau posted on X that the boy had been “trampled to death”.

Mr Billant said that the other 14 people, including a 17-year-old who suffered burns to his legs, were taken to the port of Boulogne to receive care before being questioned by police.

The rest of the occupants were allowed to continue their journey to the UK, Mr Billant said.

In the second incident, a boat with 83 people on board which had sailed from the Calais area, suffered several engine failures which caused panic on board.

This led to some of the occupants falling into the sea, who were all rescued.

Mr Billant said that when 71 people were transferred from the inflatable boat to the Flamant – a French navy patrol boat - three people were found unconscious at the bottom of the boat.

He said they were “probably crushed and suffocated during the jostling and drowned in the 40 centimetres of water present in the boat”.

He added: “Despite the intervention of the doctors, they were declared dead. They are two men and a woman, all three around 30 years old.”

Mr Billant said the remaining 12 occupants attempted to continue their journey across the Channel, but were eventually rescued again and taken back to France.

Mr Billant said: “Two new tragedies occurred at sea this morning.

“The toll is very heavy, since we deeply regret the death of four people: two men, a woman and a child.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she had been in touch with the French interior minister.

She posted on X on this afternoon: “It is appalling that more lives have been lost in the Channel today, including a young child, as criminal smuggler gangs continue to organise these dangerous boat crossings.

“The gangs do not care if people live or die – this is a terrible trade in lives.”