Two Men Die During English Channel Crossing Attempt
Rescuers find overcrowded boat; two women hospitalized with burns.
Two men have died after attempting to cross the English Channel off the coast of Berck in northern France.
Local media reported that police observed migrants departing the beach in a boat around 10 p.m. Sunday. Upon arrival, rescuers found the vessel overloaded and migrants attempting to bail water with their shoes.
Jean-Marc Lamblin, director of the French national sea rescue service (SNSM), described the scene to La Voix du Nord newspaper, stating, "When we arrived, there were at least 80 people on board and a terrible smell of gasoline." He added that the boat was so crowded, with people including children, that approximately 20 individuals were left in the water as they could not board.
When SNSM arrived, two men, estimated to be in their 30s and 40s, were found in cardiac arrest. They were brought back to shore, where firefighters and paramedics attempted to assist them. The men were pronounced dead around midnight.
Two women, aged 20 and 26 and reportedly from Somalia, were also rescued and transported to Rang-du-Fliers hospital. They sustained serious burns from a mixture of gasoline and seawater, but their conditions are not considered life-threatening.
The Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.