Two British men have died and another is being treated in hospital after a light aircraft crashed into the English Channel.

The aircraft was en route from Coventry to Guernsey and went down in waters north of Cherbourg.

The French Maritime Authority said a major search was carried out and two men were found unconscious in the sea and later declared dead. A third man was taken to hospital in France by ambulance.

The twin-engine Beech Craft 58 was believed to be a private aircraft and is thought to have sunk.

A French Navy rescue helicopter was immediately sent to the scene and a French customs helicopter and maritime and police patrol boats were rerouted to the area.

Two men were recovered from the sea at 1045 GMT from the crash location. They were taken to the Pasteur Hospital in Cherbourg where they were pronounced dead. The hospital refused to comment on the condition of the third man.