A small boat carrying about 82 people ran aground during an attempted Channel crossing from northern France, leaving two dead and 16 injured. Later reporting says the victims were a 16-year-old girl and a woman in her 20s, both believed to be Sudanese.
A small boat carrying about 82 people ran aground in northern France during an attempted crossing of the English Channel, leaving two dead and 16 injured, according to French authorities and later reporting.
The latest reports identify the victims as a 16-year-old girl and a woman in her 20s, both believed to be Sudanese. Earlier coverage had described the dead as two Sudanese women.
French authorities said 17 people were rescued at sea and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer before the vessel grounded near Hardelot and Neufchâtel-Hardelot. ITV reported that the boat lost engine power, drifted and then ran aground.
Sky News reported that seven people were transferred to hospital and that a pregnant woman was among the critically ill. Other reports described some of the injured as seriously burned.
What is known
The boat was carrying migrants trying to reach the UK from northern France. The incident remains under investigation, and officials have not yet given a final determination of how the two victims died.
The nationality and exact ages of the victims are still based on reporting from charities and media outlets rather than a final official identification.
Why it matters
The case adds to the continuing death toll from dangerous small-boat Channel crossings. The latest reporting sharpens the picture of who died, but the underlying facts remain the same: a crowded vessel ran into trouble, several people were injured, and two passengers did not survive.
Revision note
Updated with new victim-identification reporting.