Two Die in Channel Crossing as Protests Erupt in Gosport

Two men in their thirties and forties died off the coast of Berck, France, during an overnight attempt to cross the English Channel to Britain. The French National Sea Rescue Service discovered an overloaded vessel carrying at least 80 people, including children, which smelled strongly of gasoline. Two Somali women were hospitalized with burns caused by a chemical reaction between gasoline and seawater, while approximately 20 people were left stranded in the water. The Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office and authorities in Pas-de-Calais have launched investigations into the deaths, which bring the annual migrant death toll at the Franco-British border to at least 24.

Simultaneously, the UK Home Office rescued 149 migrants and brought them to Gosport, Hampshire. The arrival sparked clashes between police and approximately 150 anti-migration protesters, including members of the South Coast Patriots, who attempted to block the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from bringing migrants ashore. Police arrested 12 people for offenses including assaulting an officer.

Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, condemned the disorder and criticized the UK government for its border strategy. She argued that relying on volunteer-led charities and police forces to secure the southern sea-based border leaves the country vulnerable.