Image source, Getty Images

More details are coming in now about the victims of yesterday's tragedy.

French officials say of the 27 people known to have drowned, 17 were men, seven were women - one of whom was pregnant - and three were children.

France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had earlier said that the boat had 34 people on board.

Two people were rescued and are in a critical condition with severe hypothermia in a French hospital. One of them is from Iraq, the other is Somali, Darmanin told RTL radio.

French media report that the dead are believed to be Iraqi or Iranian Kurds.

• Read more: What do we know so far about Channel deaths?

Mark Easton
Home editor

Migration to the UK fell sharply in 2020, according to official figures published this morning.

Net migration – the number of people arriving minus the number leaving – stood at 34,000, a huge decrease on 2019, which saw 271,000.

In the last quarter of 2020, 2,000 more people left than arrived.

Today’s figure represents the first time net migration has reached the “tens of thousands” target first set by David Cameron in 2010 and repeated by Theresa May in the Conservative manifesto in 2017.

In the nine months after the government imposed Covid restrictions, 44,000 more people left the UK than arrived.

However, migrant crossings are not counted in these tallies.

More than 23,000 people have made the crossing from France to the UK by boat so far this year, a sharp rise on the 8,404 in 2020 - and far more than in years before the pandemic, when most asylum seekers arrived by plane, ferry or train.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for a “better system based on safety, compassion, justice and cooperation” after the deaths in the Channel.

Image source, Getty Images

A French politician and member of President Emmanuel Macron's En Marche party tells the BBC it's time for the UK and France to join forces instead of blaming each other over the migrant crisis.

"We can talk endlessly about the resources, but instead of pointing fingers, we should join forces to face this smuggling activity," Bruno Bonnell says.

"Those people take advantage of human beings, making them dream about 'paradise' in the UK," he adds.

Bonnell suggests trying to "communicate" with people in Calais seeking asylum in Britain to let them know "the UK is not the 'promised land' being sold to them".

Asked about allowing British police to help patrol the shores of Calais, he says he would support such a move.

"It could be something that would probably help the situation."

Deaths met with resignation in migrant campspublished at 10:09 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2021

10:09 GMT 25 November 2021

Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Calais, France

In the migrant camps here, the tragedy is being met with a sad sort of resignation.

But few say it will deter them. Everyone knows the risks.

Over the past year, I’ve stayed in contact with several people who have been trying to cross the Channel in small boats.

Some have found themselves in trouble after their engine failed or their boat capsized.

They’ve contacted me hours after being pulled from the waves by rescue crews, describing how they waited in the water, wondering if anyone would come.

One man told me he thought he might die there.

A few days later, he tried crossing again.

Image source, EPA

If you're just joining us, here are some of the main details on the tragedy that occurred in the English Channel yesterday.

• At least 27 people, including a young girl, drowned while heading to the UK when their inflatable boat sank shortly after leaving the French port of Calais
• Unconfirmed reports suggest many of the dead had travelled to France from the Middle East, while two survivors have been confirmed as Somali and Iraqi nationals
• Five suspected people traffickers have been arrested by French authorities
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to step up efforts to prevent further loss of life in the Channel
• French Prime Minister Jean Castex is holding a crisis meeting with ministers today to discuss possible new measures
• Despite the tragic deaths and extreme cold, migrant crossings have continued this morning, with two boats arriving in the UK carrying about 40 people

Where were the victims from?published at 09:44 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2021

09:44 GMT 25 November 2021

Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Calais, France

Here in Calais, a picture is starting to emerge of the victims of yesterday’s tragic crossing in the Channel.

Unconfirmed reports suggest many of the dead were from the Middle East, and that at least some of them may have been Kurds from Iraq and Iran.

France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, confirmed this morning that the two survivors currently fighting for their lives in hospital have Somalian and Iraqi nationality.

The boat they were travelling in has been sent to Lille for investigation.

It’s reported to be a long inflatable vessel, of the kind often specially commissioned by people-smuggling networks here, and used to transport passengers across the Channel in large numbers.

Darmanin said the boat was already deflated when found, and described it as “extremely fragile”.

A fifth person has been arrested in connection with yesterday's fatal crossing.

French authorities say the five are suspected people traffickers, while the regional prosecutor has opened an investigation into aggravated manslaughter.

Image source, Reuters

Photos showing migrants carrying dinghies towards the French coast to set sail for Britain - hours before dozens died at sea - have led many to ask why more can't be done to stop people crossing the Channel.

Boris Johnson has suggested France's efforts to stop the illegal crossings are not working.

France says it is doing all it can to stop boats from making the journey. Gerald Darmanin, the country's interior minister, says 671 migrants were stopped from crossing by French authorities on Wednesday alone.

Image source, Reuters

The UK has agreed multi-million pound deals to boost France's survelliance of its northern coast.

But the sheer scale of the 93-mile (150-km) stretch of coastline, which is populated by quiet beaches lined with sand dunes, makes it impossible to stop boats setting sail altogether, French officials say.

They add that trying to intercept such groups at sea brings further dangers.

Johnson says he wants the UK and France to "work together" with joint patrols on the French coast. But France has so far objected to the idea - reportedly amid concerns it could infringe its sovereignty.

Image source, Getty Images

Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont tells the BBC it would not be practical to expect more police officers to patrol the shoreline in France in an attempt to prevent people being loaded onto small boats to cross the Channel.

"We have 200-300km [125-186 miles] of shore to monitor 24/7 and it only takes five to 10 minutes to take a boat and fill it with migrants," he tells the Today programme.

Dumont says the issue needs a new response.

"I see two ways to try to handle this situation; in France, to make sure there are no migrants near the shore, putting them in welcome centres for them to rest and have food - and a roof."

He says they should then be asked if they would like to apply for asylum in France, adding "it has to be on a voluntary basis".

"The second point is for the UK to allow migrants the opportunity to apply for asylum in the UK [from France]. Then the migrants could be given a safe route to the UK."

He adds that if people are denied asylum in Britain, they can still apply in France - but if they do not want asylum in France they then face returning to their home countries.

Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, is calling for a stepping up of patrols on French beaches to stop boats from entering unsafe waters.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she says the Channel crossing is "very dangerous", particularly in the winter with colder and rougher seas.

The Dover Strait is the busiest shipping lane in the world and has claimed many lives of people trying to cross to Britain in inflatable dinghies.

She insists the "best way to keep people safe" is to increase patrols - which she says the UK has offered France help with - to keep people on French soil "where they are already safe".

Boats that do manage to enter the water must be turned around in French waters as swiftly as possible, she adds.

She cites footage from yesterday which she says showed French authorities watching as people traffickers loaded up their boat and took to the water, saying this is "unacceptable" and must change.

Elphicke reiterates her point that the UK will again offer its help to France to increase patrols.

"This is a humanitarian crisis on the shores of France and these people smugglers must not be allowed to continue to ply their trade and put peoples' lives at risk in these wintry seas."

We've got a bit more from the UK's immigration minister, Kevin Foster.

Challenged further on how UK plans will make a tangible difference for migrants trying to cross the Channel today or tomorrow, Foster says the UK has offered resources to help France with the crisis.

The UK has already agreed to pay £54m in instalments to help France deal with the situation, Foster says, and is "happy to look at doing more", citing the UK providing a helicopter to help France with yesterday's search and rescue operation.

He says Britain is not just offering cash, it is prepared to "offer support on the ground, we're prepared to offer resources, we're prepared to offer, literally, people to go there and assist the French authorities".

Migrants still determined to reach the UK despite deathspublished at 08:40 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2021

08:40 GMT 25 November 2021

Simon Jones
Reporter, BBC South East Today

Image source, PA Media

It’s windy on the Channel this morning and extremely cold - but the determination to get to the UK remains as strong as ever.

The task is now under way to establish the identities of the people who died.

That may prove problematic, as many migrants take to the water without any paperwork.

Another key concern is why their boat sank - was it overloaded, was the sea too rough, or could it have been hit by a passing ship?

The French authorities have described the boat as very flimsy.

In previous years, the number of people making the crossing has fallen dramatically in autumn. That hasn’t happened this year.

That’s because the route has become so lucrative for the people smugglers organising the journeys, charging migrants around £3,000 each to get on a boat.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is due to speak to her French counterpart later this morning about further actions the UK and France can take to halt the boat crossings, Home Office minister Kevin Foster says.

Foster, the minister for future borders and immigration, tells BBC Breakfast that it is a "dynamic situation" and the UK is offering its support to French authorities investigating the deaths of at least 27 people.

Asked about claims the tragedy was completely predictable, he says the "dangers are very obvious" when you have "people setting off in flimsy boats without proper life saving gear, organised and facilitated by ruthless criminals."

He says the tragedy highlights that the organisers of yesterday's boat crossing would have just seen their passengers as "a profit-making opportunity", adding this is why the authorities are "determined to smash this really evil business model".

The crisis must be seen as a "shared problem" and the UK has been working with French authorities, who have already stopped 20,000 crossings this year, Foster adds.

He says the UK wants to "go further" and ministers are looking at changing the law on asylum seekers and increasing the punishments for people smugglers.

Zoe Gardner from the charity the Joint Council of Welfare for Immigrants says the tragic deaths must mark a "turning point" in tackling the situation.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast she says the tragedy was "predicted" and "completely preventable" and that it can't be allowed to continue.

This means a change in approach, "not more of the same failed policies", she adds, where people are offered alternatives to the smuggling boats.

"The French are patrolling their own borders insufficiently, it's absolutely horrendous, those images of the French police standing by while children got onto one of those unsafe vessels are shocking to me."

A small protest and vigil has taken place at the port of Calais in France.

Members of human rights groups have been calling for the protection of migrants.

One banner read: "30 years of announcements, of inhuman and degrading treatment."

The group laid candles as a mark of respect for migrants who have drowned in the Channel.

Simon Jones
Reporter, BBC South East Today

We heard earlier that despite the tragic deaths, some migrants are determined to continue attempting to reach the UK.

And in the face of worsening weather, the crossings have continued this morning, with two boats brought to Dover carrying around 40 people.

Image source, Getty Images

The migrant tragedy that took place yesterday was "something we were sure could happen", the head of the port of Calais has said.

Jean-Marc Puissesseau told the BBC's Today programme there had been warnings about the dangers of crossing the Channel to Dover for some time.

"These people have to face many obstacles before they arrive in Calais, they love England, they want to go to your country, they are ready to risk their lives – this has been shown yesterday - and that cannot continue," he said.

Puissesseau added that the issue of people arriving in Calais in the hopes of reaching Britain after fleeing countries including Afghanistan is "not just a problem for Europe, it’s also a problem for the UK".

There are many dangers to crossing the Channel - one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world - in small, overcrowded boats.

The tragedy off the French coast has unsurprisingly dominated Thursday's front pages on both sides of the Channel.

"Horror in the Channel" is the headline in British daily The i, saying the migrants died "in search of a better life". It has a picture of a group of migrants carrying a dinghy boat, preparing to leave the French coast to cross the English Channel. The paper says this particular group's progress is unknown.

The Metro, meanwhile, asks why French authorities did not stop the boats from leaving France's shores. It has a picture showing French police "standing by" while migrants lift a dinghy to the shore.

The French newspaper, Libération, says the Channel is now "deadlier than ever".

• Read more: The Papers: 'Horror and despair' after 'tragedy in Channel'

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just waking up to the news this morning, here's a quick rundown of the developments that have taken place overnight:

• At least 27 people - including a young girl - have drowned in the English Channel while trying to cross from France to the UK. French officials had originally put the figure at 31
• The French government is set to hold an emergency meeting this morning to discuss its response to the tragedy

• In a phone call last night, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to step up efforts to prevent migrants from making the journey
• Johnson has called on France to accept British border patrols along the French coast, though Macron warned him not to use the issue “for political purposes”

• France has begun the task of identifying the victims. Two survivors are being treated in hospital
• Four suspected people smugglers have been arrested by French authorities