“These tragedies have happened much more often,” said Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, a charity set up to help migrants in Calais.
“All political leaders on both sides of the strait must be asking the question, 'How many lives will be lost before this avoidable tragedy is ended?'”
The French Coast Guard said helicopters, naval vessels and fishing boats were involved in the rescue operation.
The number of people taking the risky journey across the English Channel in small boats has increased, with more than 135,000 people entering the UK via this route since 2018.
More than 21,000 people crossed the strait this year.
This is more than the same period the previous year, but less than in 2022. The number of people crossing the border in 2022 (45,755) was the highest since figures were first collected in 2018.
Both Labour and the previous Conservative government promised to tackle the problem.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has cancelled a plan by the previous Conservative government to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, a plan that was first announced in 2022 but never implemented.
Sir Keir has vowed to take stronger action to “break down” human trafficking networks.
Downing Street said it had already taken steps to target organised crime, including recruiting more staff at the National Crime Agency and setting up the government's Border Security Command.
But critics say the government should do more to provide a safe route for asylum seekers.
“No matter how hard police work to crack down on gangs, unless government investigations and the needs of those exploited by gangs are addressed, this catastrophe will not be prevented from happening again,” Amnesty International UK said on Tuesday.
