Two people have died attempting to cross the Channel in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the French rescue service. It follows a similar death on Monday.
According to the Gris-Nez regional operational surveillance and rescue centre, 80 migrants set off from Gravelines in a dinghy monitored by a French navy vessel on Tuesday evening.
The centre received reports that two people were unconscious on board and a rescue was carried out. Ten others asked to be rescued.
A medical team confirmed the two unconscious people had died and took the 10 asking for help back to Calais. The others on board continued their journey to the UK.
In the incident overnight on Monday, one person died after a dinghy sank. The person was spotted in the water by a French navy helicopter and recovered by a RNLI crew.
According to the Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea, 61 survivors were taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer after their “overloaded boat” broke.
The number of people crossing the Channel has continued to rise, passing the 12,000 mark last week, with 1,125 people recorded arriving in the UK by small boat in the seven days to 17 May. On 20 May, 49 people crossed in one boat.
According to a GB News report 800 people crossed the Channel on 21 May, the highest number so far this year.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of two more deaths in the Channel. It is devastating that men, women and children who are simply trying to find safety should lose their lives in this tragic way.
“Deaths in the Channel are happening too often, which is a stark reminder that so far the government’s approach to tackling the crossings is not working. Enforcement measures alone are not enough to address this complex issue, while smuggling gangs profit from the desperation of those fleeing violence and repression in countries such as Sudan and Eritrea.
“As well as enforcement, there needs to be more safe and legal routes for refugees by, for example, allowing family members to travel to be with their loved ones who are already settled in the UK.”
