Eight migrants tragically lost their lives while attempting to cross the English Channel near Ambleteuse, in northern France's Pas-de-Calais region, French media reported on Sunday.
The overnight incident prompted a large-scale rescue operation, with survivors taken to a local sports hall for safety. This tragedy occurred during a busy period for French authorities, who also rescued around 200 people from distressed boats within 24 hours.
The migrants rescued included 55 individuals from Le Portel and 61 from La Becque d'Hardelot, according to the media.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy lamented the incident, noting the dangerous conditions faced by irregular migrants.
"It's awful. It's a further loss of life," he told a BBC program.
The government has been "discussing how we go after those (human smuggling) gangs, in cooperation upstream with other European partners,” he added.
He also called for more coordinated efforts to combat human trafficking.
But Steve Valdez-Symonds from Amnesty International UK criticized the lack of safe asylum routes, saying: "The government's 'smash the gangs' slogan ... contributes to the death toll.”
He also called for shared responsibility between the UK and France to prevent future tragedies.