Horror as two men die and two women suffer burns trying to cross Channel

Two men have died and two women have been injured in an attempt to cross the English Channel in a small boat. A man in his 30s and one in his 40s died after leaving the coast at Berck overnight, French authorities confirmed, while the women were taken to hospital after suffering burns over a large part of their bodies. Regional outlet La Voix du Nord reported that the burns, suffered by Somali women aged 20 and 26, may have been caused by a chemical reaction after gasoline mixed with seawater.

According to its report, 120 people were travelling in the boat that set off on Sunday night, and roughly 20 were left stranded in the water as they were unable to board. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the deaths.

A spokesman for the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said: “An investigation has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

“François-Xavier Lauch, Prefect of Pas-de-Calais, thanks all the services involved, particularly the firefighters, for their intervention and commitment during this operation.”

This came as migrants who arrived in Hampshire amid scenes of protest were taken to Kent to be processed. A number of people were seen arriving at a marina in Gosport, having been transported aboard two RNLI boats late on Sunday evening.

The dinghy was being shadowed by French rescue vessels until it was met by the RNLI boats in English waters, according to ship tracking data. The Home Office said 149 migrants were believed to be on board.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border. We have established contingency plans to make sure we can securely disembark, check and process all small boat arrivals.

“Migrants will be transported to short term holding facilities in Kent where they will be processed as normal and undergo stringent health, security and biometric checks.”

On Sunday, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said it deployed officers to Gosport to “support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea”. Ambulances and coaches were also spotted in the area.

The force imposed conditions under the Public Order Act, as well as powers prohibiting the wearing of face coverings.

Demonstrators had assembled near Haslar Marina, where the atmosphere was mostly peaceful, though there were reports of flares being set off and some scuffles with police.

Downing Street insisted “real progress” had been made in tackling small boat crossings.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Crossings are down significantly – 44% on last year – and this summer saw the lowest number of small boat arrivals in six years. We’ve removed more than 80,000 people with no right to be here since the election, an increase of 52%.”