At least 12 migrants have died after their boat sank trying to cross the English Channel.

The French coastguard confirmed the deaths after up to 65 people were rescued off the coast of Cap Gris-Nez on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Guirec Le Bras said six minors and a pregnant woman were among the dead, BBC News reported.

Ten females and two males were killed in the incident, the local prosecutor’s office said.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper branded the incident “horrifying and deeply tragic” as she said “vital” efforts to dismantle “dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs” and to boost border security “must proceed apace”.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin described it as a “terrible shipwreck”, adding in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “The provisional toll stands at 12 dead, two missing and several injured.

“All government services are mobilised to find the missing and take care of the victims.”

Mr Darmanin said most of the people on the boat were believed to have been from Eritrea, and most of the victims were women.

Speaking to reporters at Boulogne-sur-Mer, where the casualties are being treated, he said as many as 75 people can be put on boats ahead of a crossing attempt.

“These boats go down very, very quickly, this is the reason why a lot of people get killed on these journeys,” he said, according to a BBC News translation.

Olivier Barbarin, the mayor of Le Portel near Boulogne-sur-Mer where the casualties are being treated, said that the bottom of the boat “ripped open”.

All of the people on board the dinghy ended up in the water, many of whom were not wearing life jackets, and several of the migrants needed emergency medical care, according to the French coastguard.

Ms Cooper said she was in touch with Mr Darmanin and was being kept updated on the situation, adding: “Our hearts go out to the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives, and all those who have been seriously injured.”

The latest casualties mean more than 30 people have died in Channel crossings so far this year.

Before Tuesday, the French coastguard had recorded at least 19 Channel crossing deaths in 2024, including nine since the start of July. Last year, 12 migrants are thought to have died or were recorded as missing.

The International Organisation for Migration, which records Channel crossing deaths as part of its Missing Migrant Project, estimates 226 people including 35 children are missing or have died after attempting the crossing as of January this year.

Ministers have raised fears about people smugglers cramming more and more migrants onto increasingly poor boats to risk the crossing.

Last month in its annual assessment of crime threats to Britain, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said the dangerous journeys were a “persistent and high-volume threat” and the number of people attempting the crossing – coupled with people-smuggler tactics which see migrants “wading out to boats or transferring from taxi boats” – had “increased the likelihood of fatalities”.

The law enforcement agency’s boss Graeme Biggar said deaths were in the wake of “more people being put on to smaller and flimsier boats” as he told how an asylum system that works “quickly and effectively” could deter migrant Channel crossings.

Charities and campaigners reiterated calls for urgent changes to curb Channel crossings as they lamented the latest loss of life at sea.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the number of deaths in the Channel this year had been “shockingly high” and the “devastating trend shows the urgent need for a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to reduce dangerous crossings”.

“Enforcement alone is not the solution,” he added, as he called on the Government to open up more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers.

The British Red Cross said nobody risked their lives crossing the Channel “unless they feel they have no other choice.”

Steve Smith, chief executive of Care4Calais, said: “Every political leader, on both sides of our Channel, needs to be asked how many lives will be lost before they end these avoidable tragedies.

“Their continued obsession, and investment, in security measures is not reducing crossings, it is simply pushing people to take ever-increasing risks to do so.”

Amnesty International UK said: “No amount of ‘smash the gangs’ policing and Government rhetoric is going to stop these disasters from unfolding time and again if the needs of people exploited by those gangs remain unaddressed.”

Safe Passage International said: “Today’s tragedy must be the last. We must not accept this Government’s refusal to prioritise opening new safe routes.”

Medecins Sans Frontieres said: “The lack of safe routes to the UK forces people to make dangerous journeys, which costs lives.

“The Government needs to take immediate action and open pathways for people seeking sanctuary.”

Anna Kettley, deputy executive director of the UK Committee for Unicef, said: “We are deeply saddened to learn that children were amongst those that lost their lives in the Channel today.

“Every child, no matter where they are from, deserves safety, protection and a chance for a better future.

“We urge the UK Government to put the protection of children at the heart of their policies and to ensure there are safe and legal routes to enter the UK.”

The incident comes as more migrants arrived in the UK after making the journey and the number of Channel crossings reached the highest seven-day total for the year so far.

Pictures showed men, women and children being brought ashore in Dover, Kent, by lifeboats and Border Force on Tuesday.

Home Office figures show 351 people made the journey in six boats on Monday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date 21,403.

This is 2% higher than this time last year (20,973) and 16% lower than at the same point in 2022 (25,387), according to PA news agency analysis of government data.

The latest figures also mean 2,109 migrants arrived between August 27 and September 2 – the highest number recorded for any seven-day period so far in 2024.

The previous highest number of arrivals in a seven-day period this year was 1,758, which occurred as recently as August 26 to September 1, PA analysis shows.