Tragedy in the Channel: Migrant Deaths Spark Urgency

Two migrants have died trying to cross the English Channel from France to Britain, adding to a rising death toll this year. The French maritime authorities reported these incidents and highlighted the increasing risks in crossing due to Europe's toughening asylum policies and rising xenophobia.

Two more lives have been claimed in the perilous English Channel as migrants attempted to journey from France to Britain, according to French maritime authorities on Thursday. These latest fatalities bring the number of migrant deaths at sea within the Channel to eight this year.

A rescue operation early Thursday saved 15 individuals from an overloaded vessel near the French ports of Calais and Dunkirk. Tragically, one passenger, found unconscious during the rescue, could not be revived. The boat, having initially set out with around 40 aboard, returned to pick up more people, swelling to approximately 80.

An earlier incident on Wednesday saw an inflatable boat encounter difficulties, culminating in the death of one migrant. As Europe tightens its asylum policies and xenophobia grows, many migrants are driven to seek refuge in the UK, perceived as a land of greater opportunity and existing familial ties, despite a hostile government stance.

(With inputs from agencies.)