At least three migrants, including a child, have drowned after their boat capsized as they attempted the journey from France to the UK, a human rights group says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Channel Rescue added that more people were missing.
However, news agency PA reported that four people had drowned, including two children, citing the French authorities.
Eighteen people were taken to hospitals in Calais and Dunkirk, according to an official statement by the French prefecture.
French patrol boats and a helicopter from the Belgian air force were sent to the scene west of Dunkirk, where winds were gusting at up to 30 kilometres per hour.
Local media reported that some of those in the boat were from Iran.
This year, 5000 people have attempted to cross the Channel, in hundreds of small, often flimsy boats.
At its narrowest point, the Dover Strait is 35 kilometres wide but the crossing is dangerous as it is a major shipping thoroughfare.
Australian Associated Press