Two men dead after attempted small boat Channel crossing

Two men have died in an attempt to cross the English Channel in a small boat.

The men, one in his 30s and one in his 40s, died after leaving the coast at Berck overnight, French authorities said.

They were among five described as being taken into care due to injuries sustained from coming into contact with fuel.

Others aboard the inflatable boat - which was carrying around 90 people - were disembarked at the port city of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

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.

"Francois-Xavier Lauch, prefect of Pas-de-Calais, thanks all the services involved, particularly the firefighters, for their intervention and commitment during this operation."

The prefecture warned people considering making the crossing that the channel is "particularly demanding" because of strong tidal currents, sandbanks, and particularly heavy maritime traffic.

In a separate incident, another vessel attempting to cross to the UK - which was carrying approximately 80 people - ran aground on Camiers beach on Sunday morning.

The majority of the passengers made their way back to the beach on foot, but the French navy was deployed to assist 11 people suffering from hypothermia.

They were then taken to the seaside town of Le Touquet by helicopter to receive urgent medical treatment.

The deaths came as anti-migrant protesters gathered at a seaside town in Hampshire as a dinghy carrying 149 migrants prepared to come ashore.

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Demonstrators assembled near Haslar Marina in Gosport on Sunday amid reports that authorities were preparing for the arrival of a boat.

The dinghy was shadowed by French rescue vessels until it was met by two RNLI boats in English waters.

The migrants onboard will now be taken to Kent to undergo processing, the Home Office confirmed.

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