At least two migrants have died while attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain, French authorities confirmed on Saturday, after a makeshift boat carrying about 100 people ran into trouble off the coast of Neuchâtel-Hardelot.
Local official Isabelle Fradin-Thirode, from Montreuil-sur-Mer, said around 60 survivors were rescued and are now receiving care, while others remain unaccounted for.
The tragedy adds to the rising death toll in one of the world’s busiest and most dangerous migration routes. According to an AFP tally based on official figures, at least 25 people have died in Channel crossings so far this year.
Despite repeated crackdowns, the perilous journey has surged in scale. Since January, a record 31,000 migrants have reached the UK in small boats launched from France’s northern coast.
Under a recently agreed Franco-British migration deal, the UK is permitted to return asylum seekers who pass through a “safe country” before arriving on its shores.
In exchange, London has pledged to accept an equal number of migrants from France whose asylum applications are more likely to succeed.
The latest incident underscores the human cost of the Channel crisis, as desperate migrants continue to risk their lives in pursuit of safety and opportunity across the narrow stretch of sea.
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