Three people have died after a boat sank in the Channel, French maritime authorities said. The French maritime prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea said a further 46 people were rescued after the incident off the coast of Calais on Wednesday morning. The rescue operation was launched off Calais after a lifejacket was spotted in the sea. Forty-eight people were recovered in the search, and first aid was given to two unconscious people brought onboard the Minck ship. They were later confirmed dead in Calais, the French maritime prefecture said. Two boats and a helicopter were used in the rescue mission, alongside a medical team. Survivors were being looked after by land rescue services while the search continued for anyone who may still be at sea, the authority added. The Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation. Forty-eight deaths have been reported by the French coastguard so far this year. Dr Wanda Wyporska, the chief executive of the charity Safe Passage International, said: “Just days on since a baby died in a tragedy in the Channel, two more people have lost their lives on this dangerous journey. At least 55 people have died so far in the deadliest year for people crossing the Channel – we cannot normalise or accept this. “This government must open safe routes urgently. Without them, the smugglers will continue to exploit the lack of safe alternatives for people fleeing war and persecution. We fear we will only see more people dying in their attempts to reach protection here.” Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights programme director, Steve Valdez-Symonds, said deaths in the Channel had become “appallingly regular”, as he urged the government to set up safe alternatives to the dangerous crossing. A Home Office spokesperson said: “This devastating tragedy is a further reminder that the people smuggling gangs only care about the profits they make, not about the lives they put at risk. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.” He said the government’s new Border Security Command would “enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest and prosecute” people-smugglers. So far this year 28,353 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats, according to the latest Home Office figures. The number of arrivals is 9% higher than at the same point in 2023 and 25% lower than in 2022.