Calais, France. Two women died after a boat carrying about 80 migrants capsized near Calais as it tried to cross to Britain from France, the local French administration said on Sunday.
Deaths and rescue operation
“We regret to say that we found two people, two women, who had died,” said Christophe Marx, an official for the Pas-de-Calais administration. He added that authorities had rescued the others.
Political and policy context
The incident highlights the difficulties faced by Britain and France in tackling small boats transporting migrants illegally across the English Channel, as concerns over immigration numbers have driven up support for parties such as Reform UK and France’s National Rally (RN) party.
UK-France border security deal
Last month, Britain said it would pay France up to 660 million pounds ($895.8 million) under a three-year border security deal aimed at clamping down on illegal migrant crossings of the Channel, with part of the funding contingent on results.
What measures do you think Britain and France should prioritise to prevent further deaths on Channel crossings?