Two young Sudanese women have died while attempting to cross the English Channel from northern France to Britain in a small overcrowded boat, officials said.
Authorities believe the women suffocated on Sunday during the dangerous journey after boarding a vessel carrying more than 80 people, including pregnant women and children.
The latest incident marks the third deadly migrant boat tragedy in just over a month along the northern French coast.
According to local officials, the boat was carrying 82 people when it departed from an area south of Neufchatel-Hardelot during the night between Saturday and Sunday.
Christophe Marx, a local government official, said the vessel encountered problems shortly after departure when its engine reportedly failed to start.
As a result, the boat began drifting at sea.
Seventeen people were rescued from the water and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The remaining 65 passengers stayed onboard until the vessel eventually ran aground on a beach near Neufchatel-Hardelot.
Officials later discovered the bodies of the two women inside the boat.
Authorities said the women did not drown.
Instead, officials believe they most likely died from suffocation, a recurring danger in overcrowded small boat crossings.
“They did not drown,” Marx told reporters, explaining that suffocation is often a cause of death in heavily packed vessels.
Officials believe both victims were Sudanese and around 20 years old.
However, migrant aid organisation Utopia 56 identified the victims as a 16-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman.
The group also said a pregnant woman onboard was left in critical condition.
Local mayor Paulette Juilien-Peuvion expressed sadness over the incident.
“We can’t see the end of this story. No one has the real solutions. And it’s tragic,” she told AFP.
She said several pregnant women and children were among those onboard.
“There were notably pregnant mothers among them. I heard about a pregnant mother who also had another child with her,” she added.
Officials also reported that three other passengers suffered chemical burns caused by a mixture of seawater and fuel leaking inside the boat.
Fourteen others sustained minor injuries, with five transported to hospital for treatment.
Authorities said survivors will be interviewed by border police as investigators work to identify those responsible for organising the crossing.
A formal investigation has been launched.
Following the tragedy, migrant aid group Utopia 56 criticised immigration policies enforced by both France and Britain.
The organisation blamed restrictive border measures for forcing migrants into increasingly dangerous journeys.
“Repressive policies at the Franco-British border are killing,” the group wrote on X.
“These lost lives are the result of political choices.”
The organisation called for safer migration routes and legal travel alternatives, including ferry access.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) also reacted to the incident, saying it was deeply saddened by the deaths.
“This tragedy once again underscores the need to find solutions to prevent dangerous journeys,” UNHCR said.
The incident follows several recent migrant deaths in the same region.
On April 1, two migrants died off the coast of Gravelines while trying to reach the UK.
Days later, on April 9, four more migrants died near Equihen-Plage after being swept away by strong currents.
According to AFP data based on French and British official figures, at least 29 migrants have died at sea in the region in 2025.
Britain and France recently signed a new three-year agreement aimed at reducing small boat crossings.
Under the deal, France committed to increasing coastal law enforcement personnel by more than 50 percent, with officer numbers expected to reach 1,400 by 2029.
Despite tighter border measures, migrant crossings remain a major humanitarian and political issue.
British figures show 41,472 people arrived in the UK illegally by small boat in 2025, marking the second-highest annual total since crossings began being tracked in 2018.
