Portugal Colonial - Two women suffocate on migrant boat seeking to reach UK

This was the third such tragedy in just over a month.

The women, aged around 20, were aboard a small boat carrying 82 people that set out to sea south of the town of Neufchatel-Hardelot, Christophe Marx, a local government official, told reporters. Officials believe the two victims are of Sudanese origin.

Separately, Utopia 56, a migrant aid association, described the two victims as a 16-year-old child and a 20-year-old woman. One other victim - a pregnant woman -- was in critical condition, the group said.

"We can't see the end of this story. No one has the real solutions. And it's tragic," Paulette Juilien-Peuvion, the mayor of Neufchatel-Hardelot, told AFP.

She said she was sad to see "these young people trying to flee."

"There were notably pregnant mothers among them. I heard about a pregnant mother who also had another child with her," she said.

The boat set out to sea south of Neufchatel-Hardelot, about 12 kilometres (seven miles) south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, during the night from Saturday to Sunday.

But "the engine wouldn't start" and the boat began to drift, Marx said.

Seventeen people were rescued at sea and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The boat with the remaining 65 people on board eventually ran aground on a beach near Neufchatel-Hardelot, he said, adding that the two women had been found "dead inside the boat".

"They did not drown," he said, indicating that the two most likely died from "suffocation, as unfortunately often happens."

The mayor of Neufchatel-Hardelot said the two women suffered cardiac arrest, suggesting that they might have been "crushed at the bottom of the boat when there are so many on board."

'Policies are killing'

Three others suffered chemical burns "due to a mixture of fuel and seawater," the prefecture said.

Fourteen more people had minor injuries and five of them were taken to hospital, officials said, citing the updated figures.

They were "being treated and will be interviewed by border police to determine who is responsible for this crossing", Marx said.

An investigation has been launched.

Utopia 56 said "the repressive" policies of French and British governments were behind the latest tragedy.

"Repressive policies at the Franco-British border are killing," the group said on X. "These lost lives are the result of political choices."

"It is urgent to put an end to this deadly situation: open the borders, establish safe routes for passage, and charter ferries."

On April 1, two migrants died off the coast of Gravelines in northern France while attempting to reach the United Kingdom.

On April 9, two men and two women died near the village of Equihen-Plage, swept away by the currents.

In 2025, at least 29 migrants died at sea in the region, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.

Last month, Britain and France signed a new three-year deal to stop undocumented migrants making the risky journey across the Channel in small boats.

Under the deal, France pledged to increase law enforcement personnel on the coast by more than half, reaching 1,400 officers by 2029.

According to French officials, the number of arrivals in Britain so far this year has been drastically cut from 2025.

According to British figures, 41,472 people reached the United Kingdom illegally in small boats in 2025, the second-highest figure since large-scale crossings were first detected in 2018.

H.Silva--PC