At least three people have died while trying to cross the English Channel to the UK.
A large-scale rescue operation was launched from a beach in Sangatte, in northern France, on Sunday morning.
Four others were taken to hospital after attempting to cross the Channel from France in small boats, the French Prefet Maritime said.
Many firefighters and law enforcement officers have been deployed in vast numbers at the Tom Souville base, with authorities warning the death toll may rise as the operation continues.
Around 50 migrants have reportedly been taken into the care of French humanitarian charity Utopia 56, while 10 people with severe hypothermia are being cared for by firefighters.
The deaths, which occurred in French waters, are the first in the Channel since October and bring the total number of people who have died attempting the crossing this year to at least 52.
Border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said lives had been lost at sea “because ruthless criminals running the small boat trade are overloading people into unseaworthy vessels”.
She added: “We continue to support the French authorities who are leading on the response to the incident, which took place in French waters.
“This government is committed to smashing these gangs as part of our Plan for Change, and since July we have created the new Border Security Command, begun a major crackdown on illegal working, increased deportations and agreed a landmark plan with Germany to disrupt people smuggling supply chains.”
The incident follows four days of crossings that saw a total of 1,485 people make the journey – the busiest Christmas period since records began in 2018.
Figures published on Sunday showed 322 people crossed the Channel in six boats on Saturday, while more people were seen arriving in Dover on Sunday.
More than 150,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats in the last seven years, with the government blaming the “appalling legacy of broken border security” left by the Conservatives.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp meanwhile said Labour had let Britain down “by scrapping the Rwanda deterrent before it started”. “It is an insult that Labour has allowed 858 illegal immigrants into the country on Christmas Day and Boxing Day,” Mr Philp added.
More than 22,324 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since Sir Keir walked into Number 10 when Labour won the election in July, up 24 per cent on the same period in 2023 but down 32 per cent on the record year of 2022.
So far this year, 35,898 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel, provisional Home Office figures show.
That is up 22 per cent on this time last year, but down 22 per cent from 2022.
Yvette Cooper is claiming to have broken the link between favourable weather conditions and surges in migrant crossings, pointing to a drop in the average number of arrivals on typically favourable “red days”.
With the number of deaths in the Channel rising, it emerged people smugglers are offering migrants crossing the Channel “package deals” including travel, accommodation and a job to boost business.
Albanian gangs are urging hopeful migrants to take advantage of “messy and busy” airports over Christmas to enter the UK on stolen passports.
Adverts on TikTok reportedly show TV-style marketing for packages costing as little as £2,500, payable on arrival in Dover, which included “specialised people” waiting to pick migrants up, take them to rental properties and find them black-market jobs paying cash.
Messages seen by The Times showed one smuggler telling a potential migrant they could fly him and his fiancée to the UK, find a house to rent for £1,000 a month in London and “simple work”, all for a £12,000 fee. The message included photos of the home in the style of an online estate agent.
