Two women drowned overnight while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French authorities said Saturday, as migrant arrivals continue to outpace deportations under London’s new “one-in, one-out” scheme with Paris.
The tragedy unfolded off the beaches near Neufchâtel-Hardelot when about 100 people set out for the UK on a makeshift boat. Around 60 survivors, including a couple and their child suffering from hypothermia, were rescued and taken to safety, local official Isabelle Fradin-Thirode said.
The deaths bring this year’s Channel toll to at least 25, while crossings have already topped 32,000—despite the Franco-British deal meant to deter them. Under the plan, the UK returns ineligible arrivals to France in exchange for accepting approved asylum seekers via legal routes.
But the scheme’s launch has been rocky: just six deportations have taken place so far, compared to more than 1,100 arrivals in the past week alone. Ministers insist removals will accelerate in the coming months, even as critics accuse Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government of losing control of Britain’s borders.
