LILLE: Three people died on Monday off the coast of France while attempting an illegal crossing of the Channel to the United Kingdom, French authorities said.

"A shipwreck involving a taxi boat occurred today off the coast of Wissant," a seaside village in northern France, the prefecture said, using a term referring to a dinghy that approaches the beach from the sea to pick up migrants in shallow waters off the beach.

The initial death toll stood at three, it said.

A rescue boat arrived at the port of Calais in the mid-morning, where it began disembarking people rescued from the accident, an AFP correspondent said.

A coach, as well as fire service and police vehicles were deployed at the scene, they said.

France has long been a launchpad for migrants without visas hoping to cross the Channel to start a better life in Britain.

They pay smugglers thousands of dollars to board unstable rubber dinghies to make the journey across one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Three bodies were found last week after chaotic "taxi boat" departures of this kind in northern France.

At least 29 migrants lost their lives last year trying to cross the Channel, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.