Two migrants die crossing Channel in small boat

Two migrants have died attempting to cross the Channel in a small boat.

The boat was spotted getting into difficulty, with several people in the water, less than a mile from the French coast early on Wednesday afternoon.

Some 57 people were rescued by boat and taken to the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer while another was airlifted to safety, French officials said.

British and French teams also responded to a separate small boat incident on Wednesday evening.

In the first incident, the two people drowned after the boat carrying them capsized just two hours after leaving the French town of Neufchatel-Hardelot.

With 60 people onboard, the boat was seen getting into difficulty in French waters shortly after 13:00 local time. Several of those who were rescued had hypothermia, officials said.

An investigation has since been opened by prosecutors in France.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, described it as "yet another appalling and preventable tragedy".

Their deaths come almost two years to the day since the UK's deadliest migrant boat incident which saw at least 27 people die, including a pregnant woman and three children.

Meanwhile, photos have emerged showing groups of people, thought to be migrants, being brought to shore in Dungeness, Kent, by an RNLI lifeboat shortly after 20:00 GMT on Wednesday.

One person was pictured being carried away from the shore on a stretcher.

On Wednesday evening, the UK government confirmed an ongoing response in the Channel inside French waters.

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said its teams had been working with French counterparts who had coordinated the response.

"HM Coastguard will continue to work with partners to respond to those in distress around the seas and coastal areas of the UK," the spokesperson added.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made "stopping the boats" a key priority for his government.

As of 13 November, 27,284 people had been detected crossing the English Channel in 2023, according to the Home Office. This is down a third from the same date in 2022.

In 2022, 45,755 migrants made the crossing - the highest number since figures began to be collected in 2018.

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