Two migrants die trying to cross English Channel in small boat

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

The incident happened offshore between Calais and Dunkirk, in France, on Sunday morning, a French maritime official told the BBC.

More than 50 migrants were rescued from the same small boat and the operation is ongoing.

French officials said 25 migrants have died attempting to cross the world’s busiest shipping lane this year.

Several boats carrying migrants launched from beaches in northern France on Sunday after a period of windy conditions.

Fine weather in the morning prompted several groups to take to the water.

Jacques Billant, prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region, said during a press conference on Sunday afternoon that authorities launched a large rescue operation when a vessel got into difficulty.

There were 56 migrants on the boat. Two people were unconscious when crews arrived at the scene and later died, while 54 were safely brought back to port in Calais, he said.

Meanwhile, the family of Dina Al Shammari – a 21-year-old woman who died trying to cross the channel on 28 July – said they had “no option” but to attempt the journey again themselves.

She was travelling with her three younger siblings, aged 13 to 19, and parents, when she was crushed in an overcrowded boat off the coast of Calais.

The family, who are Kuwaiti Bidoon, a stateless Arab minority, fled the Gulf state in 2018, and said Ms Al Shammari wanted to be a dentist.

Her mother, Amira Al Shammari, 52, said the family of six arrived in France on 1 July and had attempted the crossing five times before the night her eldest daughter died.