Three people died while trying to cross the English Channel on a ‘taxi-boat’ for migrants near the French port of Dunkirk, the local administration in charge of the Channel and North Sea said on Thursday.

The French administration said the boat got into difficulties early on Thursday by Braek beach, saying they would release more detail later.

The Channel is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and its strong currents have resulted in many deaths of migrants trying to cross over from France to Britain. Human traffickers typically overload the dinghies, leaving them barely afloat.

Tackling the problem of migrants attempting the perilous crossing remains a priority for the French government and the government of new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who named Jo White as migration minister this month.

In April, Britain struck a deal whereby it would pay France up to £660 million to tackle illegal migrant crossings of the Channel, with part of the funding contingent on results.