A child drowned in the English Channel after falling from an 'overcrowded' small boat on Sunday morning.
The child's tragic death follows a similar incident yesterday in which two women died after falling from a boat.
French prosecutors are now seeking to launch criminal proceedings against the people smuggling gangs responsible.
Emergency services commander Jonathan Caruso said that 48 other migrants were rescued from the sea after falling from the same boat.
Despite the number of casualties, the dingy is understood to have continued until reaching England, with around 50 people on board.
The latest tragedy brings the death tally on small boat crossings this year to 21. The child's body was reported to have washed up on Écault beach near Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Some sources claimed the body was that of a young teenager but authorities have revealed no further details.
Cécile Gressier, prosecutor in the French port town, said: "An investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the death.
"The victim's age and nationality have not been determined."
Boulogne prosecutors have launched a criminal enquiry into all deaths over the weekend, as a manhunt opens to track down the people smugglers.
The number of migrants arriving in the UK is at a record for this point in the year since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.
Last year, 50 people died while trying to cross the Channel, according to incidents recorded by the French coastguard, in what is considered the deadliest year since the crisis unfolded.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has also reported several more migrant deaths believed to be linked to crossing attempts in 2024 and this year.
