Two people have died and two more have been injured attempting to cross the Channel in a small boat, French authorities have said, while anti-migrant protesters on England’s south coast scuffled with police as they opposed the rescue of nearly 150 more people on a second vessel. Even though the number of small boat crossings has fallen in recent months, the incidents come amid growing unrest in some quarters partly been fuelled by far-right agitators. Authorities in the Pas-de-Calais area said one man in his 30s and another in his 40s died during the overnight crossing from the French coastal town of Berck towards England’s south coast.
Two women were taken to hospital after suffering burns over large parts of their bodies. A spokesperson 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. François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, thanks all the services involved, particularly the firefighters, for their intervention and commitment during this operation.” Anticipating the arrival of another boat, demonstrators gathered in Gosport, in Hampshire on Sunday night.
It was the second time protesters had targeted the town amid rumours of rescued people disembarking there. Several rescued people were seen arriving at a marina in Gosport after being transported onboard two RNLI boats late on Sunday evening. Their dinghy was shadowed by French rescue vessels while in the Channel until it was met by RNLI boats in English waters, according to ship tracking data.
The Home Office said 149 people were believed to be onboard. It said: “The Border Security Command works around the clock to protect our border. We have established contingency plans to make sure we can securely disembark, check and process all small boat arrivals.
Migrants will be transported to short-term holding facilities in Kent, where they will be processed as normal and undergo stringent health, security and biometric checks.” On Sunday, Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary said it had deployed officers to Gosport to “support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea”. Ambulances and coaches were also seen in the area. The force imposed conditions under the Public Order Act and used powers prohibiting the wearing of face coverings.
Demonstrations were mostly peaceful, though there were reports of flares being set off and some scuffles with police. There were similar scenes last month when protesters gathered in the area expecting migrants to arrive on a dinghy, but they were ultimately taken to Dover by sea. Departures from so far west on the northern French coast have been rare in recent years, but it is the third such crossing in a month.
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