A local French authority reported that two migrants died after a boat carrying an entire group capsized on Wednesday off the coasts of Calais. This highlights the difficulties facing the British and French government in their efforts to combat illegal immigration.

The local prefect stated that the search for other potential victims continues at sea. He added that 46 people on the same boat had been rescued and taken to safety.

In the first half of this year, more than 50 people died while crossing the English Channel under hazardous conditions. Many were on makeshift dinghies or rafts.

It is a busy shipping lane and the currents can be strong. This makes crossings of this kind dangerous.

Last week, European Union leaders agreed that they would tighten up their immigration policies by using their entire leverage, including their trade and visa policies, to accelerate the return of illegal migrants.

The topic of immigration is highly controversial in the majority of the 27 countries of the EU, despite the fact that the number of irregular migrants who arrived in Europe in 2016 was a third less than the one million during the 2015 crisis, and the numbers are even lower this year. Reporting by Benoit van Overstraeten, Sudip Kar Gupta and Ingrid Melander.

(source: Reuters)