LILLE: Two people died while attempting to cross the Channel from northern France to Britain early Wednesday, French authorities said, adding that around 50 people more had been rescued from a sinking boat.

The small boat sank shortly after 8am around two kilometres from the port of Calais, the Channel prefecture said, adding that several nearby ships were called to help.

Channel crossings to Britain by undocumented asylum seekers havesurged since 2018 despite repeated warnings about the perilous journey. The Channel has heavy maritime traffic, icy waters and strongeurrents.

Wednesday`s sinking follows the death of a fourmonth-old baby last week in an overloaded boat headed for Britain, with the latest fatalities bringingthe tollsofar this year to atleast54 people.

More than 26,000 migrants have landed on British shores since Jan 1, according to UK Home Office figures.-AFP