Three migrants, including a 10-year-old boy, died while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to Britain, French authorities reported on Tuesday. The incident occurred off the northern French coast near Sangatte, a known departure point for asylum seekers seeking to reach the United Kingdom.

The group was aboard a rubber dinghy that departed around 5:15 a.m. local time, carrying 105 people. The vessel faced overcrowding, raising safety concerns during the hazardous journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. At approximately 8 a.m., when the boat was roughly six kilometers off the English coast, passengers made a distress call to rescue services.

According to Francois Xavier Lauch, the local prefect, two women in their thirties and a 10-year-old boy, all believed to be Eritrean, lost their lives. The fatalities appeared to have been caused by a crush inside the overloaded dinghy.

France has increasingly become a transit point for migrants seeking to enter Britain, many of whom pay smugglers substantial sums to undertake the perilous crossing. Authorities continue to urge caution amid the ongoing risks associated with these unauthorized crossings. Rescue operations were launched in response to the distress call, but the high number of passengers and the instability of the vessel contributed to the tragic outcome.