A boat carrying migrants was spotted heading towards Britain from northern France on Wednesday, just one day after 12 migrants died in a failed attempt 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.

The local prosecutor's office said 10 women and two men were killed in the incident, according to the BBC.

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

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

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

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

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