Migrant crisis: Two women die while crossing English Channel; 17 lost in similar attempts

Two women lost their lives on Saturday while trying to cross the English Channel from France to the UK on a makeshift boat carrying other migrants , French officials said.

Rescuers found the women in cardiac arrest but were unable to save them. A couple and their child suffering from hypothermia were taken to a hospital in Boulogne.

The incident took place off the coast of Neufchâtel-Hardelot, a town in northern France. Local reports said more than 60 migrants were rescued during the night, while police prevented several other attempts to cross the Channel.

Authorities said 17 migrants have died so far this year while trying to make the dangerous journey across the Channel in small boats from the coast of Pas-de-Calais.

The tragedy comes days after a new agreement between France and the UK took effect, under which Britain returns migrants who arrive without authorisation, and France sends asylum seekers who have been approved. Earlier this week, a family of three, including a young child, became the first group to be transferred to the UK under the programme.

The UK Home Office described their arrival as part of the “critical first steps” in the scheme, which has been dubbed “one in, one out.” Recently, four people who had crossed into Britain by boat from France were flown back to France under the arrangement.