A small boat carrying migrants trying to cross the English Channel ran aground on a beach in northern France, killing two people and injuring 16 people, including three with serious burns, authorities said Sunday.
The ship, carrying 82 people, left overnight off the coast of Hardelot, a few kilometers south of the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, but the engine failed and it began to rock, Christophe Marx, Secretary General of the state of Pas-de-Calais, told reporters.
A French warship rescued 17 people and brought them to Boulogne-sur-Mer, while a makeshift boat ran aground with 65 others still aboard.
Two women were found dead, most likely from asphyxiation, Marx said. They are believed to be “crushed or suffocated, as unfortunately often happens on boats … where too many people are crowded,” he said.
The women were believed to be in their 20s and from Sudan, he said, adding that investigations are ongoing. Three of the injured were in a critical condition due to burns caused by oil on the bottom of the boat, he added.
It was the third fatal incident involving migrants trying to make the dangerous crossing to Britain in just over a month.
