Soft-touch rules for illegal migrants to blame for Channel tragedy

12 people including six children and a pregnant woman died when dinghy ripped in two on Tuesday morning .

It has now emerged that those who lost their lives turned down chance to be rescued minutes before disaster struck.

Investigators have revealed that the Abeille Normandie the Normandy Bee rescue vessel took 15 people off the stricken boat soon after Mayday calls were put out by some on board.

Despite tragedy, however, more migrants have been spotted making the same perilous journey across the Channel today.

Pregnant woman and six children among 12 people who died after boat capsized in English Channel.

Mayor of Boulogne -sur-Mer said pregnant woman was among those who perished.

Many of the passengers didn't have life preservers, with one calling it the deadliest migrant accident in the channel this year .

Rescue workers in helicopters and boats were deployed close to Le Portel , a town of around 9,000 , shortly after 11.30am yesterday morning .

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly called on the Government to bring back the Tories ' Rwanda deportation scheme.

He said: 'This is tragic and it cannot continue. It is not enough to talk about smashing the gangs’ when the real-life consequences are so serious' Former Director General of Border Force Tony Smith said a deterrent was necessary.