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A woman has died during a small boat crossing of the Channel – the 23rd such fatality this year as an unprecedented number of people make the treacherous journey from France to seek shelter in Britain.
One person was found dead after a boat trying to cross the busy shipping lane near Calais got into difficulties overnight, French authorities said.
A total of 34 other people were rescued and taken to emergency services, the local French department responsible for the Calais region said.
With a dearth of safe and legal routes available for people to seek asylum in the UK, more than 12,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats this year, making perilous crossings in overcrowded dinghies that risk capsizing.
As of June, more people had made the crossing than at the same point in any previous year. Such attempts to reach Britain first started to be detected in late 2018 after increasingly stringent security measures at ports and the Eurotunnel succeeded in preventing stowaways on lorries and trains bound for the UK.
A total of 23 people have now died making the journey this year, close to double the total number of fatalities in 2023.
More follows…
