France, April 9 -- Two men and two women were swept away by strong currents near the village of Equihen-Plage, regional official Francois-Xavier Lauch said.

Another person was treated for hypothermia and 37 others were taken into the care of emergency services.

The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known, with Lauch describing the death toll as still "provisional".

The group had been trying to board a so-called "taxi boat" - inflatable dinghies that leave the shore nearly empty before picking up migrants wading into shallow water.

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"Around 30 migrants tried to board the boat. Things went wrong and, let's just say, they flou...