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Two Women Die After Migrant Boat Grounds Off Northern France; UK Schools Join Refugee Program
A small boat with 82 migrants ran aground on a beach in northern France during an attempted crossing to the UK, killing two Sudanese women and injuring 16 others. The incident marks the third deadly crossing in over a month amid a new UK-France deal to curb migrations.
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PARIS — A small boat carrying 82 migrants ran aground on a beach in northern France on Sunday during an attempted crossing to the UK, leaving two women dead and 16 people injured. The vessel set out overnight from Hardelot beach, a few kilometers south of the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, but its engine failed and it began to drift.
Christophe Marx, secretary-general of the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, said the boat was overcrowded, leading to the deaths most likely from suffocation.
A French maritime gendarmerie vessel rescued 17 people and brought them to Boulogne-sur-Mer, while the boat ran aground with 65 others still on board. The two dead women were believed to be in their 20s and to have come from Sudan. Marx stated they were crushed or asphyxiated, as often happens on boats where too many people are packed in, and an investigation was underway regarding the deaths.
Authorities reported 16 people were injured in the incident, including three with serious burns caused by fuel at the bottom of the boat. Three of the injured were in very serious condition with burns, Marx added. The incident on Sunday was the third deadly incident involving migrants trying to cross to the UK in just over a month.
Last month, two men and two women died as they were trying to board an inflatable boat off the coast of northern France. British authorities arrested a man from Sudan on suspicion of endangering life in that case. The week before the last month's incident, two other people died in similar circumstances off the coast north of Calais.
The UK and French governments signed a new multimillion-euro deal last month aimed at reducing the number of migrants crossing the English Channel. The deal includes increased police patrols and enhanced surveillance in northern France. More than 6,000 migrants have reached the UK after crossing the channel so far this year, a number down 36% from the same period last year.
