Four people died after a migrant boat ran into difficulties crossing the English Channel in the early hours, the government has said.

The BBC's Nick Eardley said a person close to the situation said 43 people had been saved, with more than 30 of them rescued from the water.

A major search and rescue operation was launched in waters between Kent and France in freezing conditions.

The government described it as "a truly tragic incident".

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said her "heartfelt thoughts" were with those involved, and she was being kept up to date as agencies responded and established the facts.

The boat is likely to have been carrying migrants risking the crossing from France, a day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced new measures to "stop the boats".

It is understood the small boat started sinking at about 03:00 GMT off the coast of Dungeness, 30 miles west of Dover.

The UK coastguard, the French Navy and an air ambulance were all sent to help with the rescue operation.

A fishing boat in the area and coastguard helicopters from Lydd and Lee on Solent were also involved.

South East Coast Ambulance Service said it was called following reports of the incident, and sent crews to Dover, in Kent, to help with the follow-up operation.

The BBC's Simon Jones said the search and rescue operation will continue throughout the day.

Overnight on Tuesday, temperatures dropped to 1C, with it likely to have been colder out at sea. A yellow weather warning for ice was in place across Kent at the time.

(Source: BBC)