Two young Sudanese women appear to have suffocated to death on Sunday while trying to reach Britain from Northern France in a small boat crammed with more than 80 people including pregnant women and children, officials said.

Reports shows that this was the third such tragedy has happened 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.

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 was a pregnant woman, and she was in critical condition.

The perilous journey began when the inflatable boat's engine exploded, forcing those on board to huddle together to escape a raging fire at around 3 am.

An Iranian survivor recounted, "There was a problem with the engine, which caught fire. This forced everybody backwards, into a huddle."

Regional government official Christophe Marx confirmed that the victims were found dead inside the grounded boat.

The Mayor of Neufchatel-Hardelot, Paulette Juilien-Peuvion, highlighted the youth of one victim, stating, "One of the victims was only sixteen years old, the second was not yet thirty."

In the aftermath, a man sustained severe burns and was hospitalized in critical condition, along with five others.

Thirteen individuals suffered moderate injuries, and three serious wounds, including burn victims, were also taken for medical treatment.

Seventeen migrants were rescued at sea and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer after a dangerous crossing attempt. In another operation, a French Navy vessel also rescued 17 people and brought them to safety.

The English Channel remains very dangerous, with recent deaths reported during similar crossings, as authorities say more people are attempting the journey due to better weather, often paying smugglers to use unsafe, overcrowded boats.

Despite tighter controls, Channel crossings are still ongoing, and over 5,000 migrants have crossed this year, after more than 41,000 in 2025, with around 6,000 arrivals recorded last month alone.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a new three-year deal with France to increase beach patrols and invest £501 million in enforcement.

This follows the expiry of a £478 million agreement signed in 2023, which included plans for a French detention centre that has yet to open.

The government is also pushing a “pay-for-results” system with France, but its “one in, one out” scheme has had limited impact, 377 migrants were returned to France while 380 came into the UK.

The effectiveness of current policies has faced sharp criticism, particularly from Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who decried it as "yet another day of shame" for the government, asserting they "have no control whatsoever over our borders."

He pointed out a 45 percent increase in illegal Channel crossings since the general election and called for leaving the ECHR to enable quicker deportations.

Further highlighting the struggle, Martin Hewitt, head of the UK's border security command, appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, stepped down in March after 18 months in the role, having failed to stem the consistently high levels of crossings.

The human cost of these attempts remains dire, with at least eight people having died this year on small boats trying to reach the UK.

Last year alone, at least 29 migrants lost their lives in similar circumstances, underscoring the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the English Channel.