Channel migrants: four die in two crossing attempts

Four migrants died in two separate attempts to cross the Channel from France to Britain, French authorities said Thursday.

The French maritime prefecture said three bodies were found early Thursday on a small boat that had approached the coast near Dunkirk to pick up passengers. Authorities in the Pas-de-Calais region said another boat sank late Wednesday off Hardelot, killing one man.

Rescue services took six people, including a one-year-old, into care after the Hardelot sinking. Security forces said they "neutralised" the vessel, without elaborating.

The deaths brought to 14 the number of people who have died so far this year trying to cross the Channel, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources. AFP counted at least 29 migrant deaths in the Channel last year.

British and French authorities said a woman died last month after reaching English waters following a crossing from France. They said the vessel she was travelling in did not seek help during the crossing, but British authorities intercepted it and found an unconscious passenger.