A rescue operation has been launched after a boat carrying around 40 people began to sink in the English Channel.

The vessel is believed to have begun taking on water as it headed for the UK on Thursday morning.

One migrant has been airlifted to hospital from the Channel so far, and authorities in France say the rescue effort – involving French and Belgian air and sea units – is ongoing.

Searches started at around 10am after a cargo ship reported seeing the boat in difficulty, with some people overboard, off the coast of Dunkirk.

An unconscious person were taken aboard the cargo ship’s lifeboat, before being transferred onto a French Navy vessel and then airlifted to a hospital in Calais by a Belgian helicopter.

They are thought to have suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest, French authorities said.

Several others were also hoisted aboard the helicopter as the migrant boat was sinking, while more were rescued by nearby fishing boats.

Following days of bad weather in the Dover Strait, lighter conditions on Thursday have seen a flurry of crossing attempts.

The latest bids to reach the UK come after French authorities intercepted at least 108 people trying to cross the Channel on Wednesday, with one person having to be airlifted to hospital in Dunkirk.

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