At least six people have died and more than 50 rescued after a boat carrying migrants sank in the Channel.

British and French crews have been involved in a large-scale operation after the vessel got into difficulty off the coast of Sangatte on Saturday morning.

Around 65 people are thought to have boarded the boat — with two possibly still missing at sea, France&s Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said.

Six were recovered in serious condition, one of whom was flown by helicopter to a Calais hospital and declared dead.

An updated statement said the other five, who were taken in by boat, had also died.

A passing ship first raised the alarm that a vessel was sinking near Calais in the early hours of Saturday, the prefecture said.

Some 22 people were rescued and dropped off in Dover, including by a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crew, which was launched shortly before 4am, and a British chartered ship.

At least 36 other survivors were collected by French boats and taken to the port of Calais, as well as the five people who died.

Britain&s Home Secretary Suella Braverman chaired a meeting with Border Force officials later on Saturday morning, describing the incident as a &tragic loss of life&.

She is being updated on latest developments in the operation.

A UK Government spokesperson said: &These deaths are devastating and our thoughts are with the victims& families and friends at this time.

&This incident is sadly another reminder of the extreme dangers of crossing the Channel in small boats and how vital it is that we break the people smugglers& business model and stop the boats.& Meanwhile, at least two people were killed, including an eight-month-old infant, and 13 rescued after a migrant boat capsized off Tunisia&s Gabes coast, state radio said last night.

A search was underway by Italian search and rescue for the unknown amount of missing migrants, Radio Tunisienne added.