Four people have drowned after a boat carrying migrants got into trouble while crossing the English Channel in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

According to the latest information, 43 people were rescued, 30 of whom were in the water.

The Foreign Ministry of Albania reports that from unofficial sources they’ve learned that one of the survivors is Albanian, while among the four victims there is none with Albanian citizenship.

A major search-and-rescue operation is underway in the waters between Kent and France, under difficult weather conditions.

In its reaction, the British government called the event a “tragic incident”.

In a response on Twitter, Interior Minister Suella Braverman stated that her “heartfelt thoughts” were with the people involved in the incident. She added that she is being kept informed by law enforcement agencies.

The serious episode comes a day after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a new strategy to end illegal immigration across the English Channel, focusing on the flow of Albanian migrants.