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Channel Crossing Incident Impact
Comparison of affected individuals in the recent boat incident.
Primary Sources
Two women die in Channel crossing attempt off French coast
Two women have died while trying to cross the English Channel to the UK in a small boat.They were on a dinghy carrying 82 people off the coast of Neufchatel-Hardelot in the Pas-de-Calais region this morning, French authorities said.Latest Home Office figures show 325 migrants arrived in the UK in six boats on Saturday. (Gareth Fuller/PA)The boat, which left the south area of Neufchatel-Hardelot at around 1.30am, started drifting out at sea after a technical issue.According to media outlet France 24, the secretary general of the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, Christophe Marx, told a press briefing the boat ran aground on the beach and the two women were found dead inside the boat.The women are believed to be in their 20s and of Sudanese origin, but Mr Marx added an investigation and hearings will take place to determine their nationalities.French authorities said three people are in a state of “absolute emergency”, with burns resulting from a mix of fuel and sea water, and 14 are in a state of “relative emergency”, including five who were taken to hospital. The 17 migrants were taken aboard French rescue vessel The Minck as part of a large-scale operation that also involved the French Gendarmerie’s coastal patrol vessel Armoise.The total number of migrant arrivals so far this year is 41% down compared to the same time last year. (Gareth Fuller/PA)An investigation into the incident was open by the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor’s office.French authorities said in a statement: “All state services were mobilised to respond to this incident, with the involvement of the national gendarmerie, border police, aerial resources, including drones, the departmental fire and rescue service, as well as volunteers from Civil Protection, and resources co-ordinated by CROSS Gris-Nez under the authority of the Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.“Smuggling networks, driven by criminal motives and a total disregard for human life, continue to endanger vulnerable people by organising crossings in makeshift boats.“The state maintains a firm response to these actions and, in co-ordination with the judicial authorities, continues its efforts to combat these networks.”The deaths come just weeks after two men and two women drowned after being swept away by strong currents while trying to cross the Channel on April 9.Latest Home Office figures show 325 migrants arrived in the UK in six boats on Saturday.This brings the total number of arrivals so far this year to 6,796, whi...
Two women die in attempted Channel crossing from France to UK
Women die after boat carrying 82 people has engine trouble and runs aground near Calais, French authorities say.Two women thought to be from Sudan have died while trying to cross from northern France to the United Kingdom in a small boat, French officials say.The women, believed to be in their 20s, were on board a boat carrying 82 people, Christophe Marx, a regional government official, told reporters on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3South American migrants deported to DRC say facing pressure to return homelist 2 of 3Pope decries migrants and refugees being treated ‘worse than house pets’list 3 of 3‘We can’t go out’: Migrants hide as Mauritania presses deportation campaignend of listThe boat set out to sea during the night from Saturday to Sunday but “the engine wouldn’t start” and the boat began to drift, Marx said. Seventeen people were rescued at sea and taken to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.The boat with the remaining 65 people on board eventually ran aground on a beach near Neufchatel-Hardelot, about 12km (7 miles) south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, he said, adding that the victims had been found “dead inside the boat”.They are believed to have been “crushed or asphyxiated as unfortunately often happens on boats … where too many people are packed in”, he said.The women were believed to have come from Sudan, he said, adding that an investigation was under way.Thirteen people with moderate injuries and three with serious wounds, including burn victims, were taken to hospital.They were “being treated and will be interviewed by border police to determine who is responsible for this crossing”, Marx said.The deaths highlight the difficulties faced by Britain and France in tackling small boats transporting migrants and refugees across the English Channel while concerns over immigration numbers have driven up support for far-right parties, such as Reform UK and France’s National Rally party.Two people died off Gravelines, France, on April 1 while trying to reach the UK. On April 9, two men and two women died, swept away by currents.In 2025, at least 29 people died at sea in the region, according to an AFP news agency tally based on official French and British sources.Last month, Britain said it would pay France up to 660 million pounds ($895.8m) under a three-year border security deal to try to clamp down on migrants and refugees crossing the Channel with part of the funding contingent on results.France will increase the number of police and ge...
Two Women Die in Channel Crossing Attempt From France to Britain
Last month, Britain said it would pay France up to 660 million pounds ($895.8 million) under a three-year border security deal to try to clamp down on illegal migrant crossings of the Channel ...
Two women die trying to reach Britain in Calais Channel capsize tragedy ...
Two women died after a boat carrying about 80 migrants trying to cross to Britain from France capsized near Calais, the local French administration said on Sunday. "We regret to say that we ...
