Two migrant men have been killed while attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat.
The pair — aged 45 and 34 — were pronounced dead by France’s lifeboat service shortly after midnight, with both having suffered cardiac arrest.
Two young women, aged 20 and 26, were also found injured at the scene by emergency service workers.
The vessel — carrying 120 migrants — had set sail from Terminus beach in Berck, before French firefighters were alerted at around 10.20pm on Sunday evening.
France’s SNSM rescued four migrants from the boat in total, with the two men pronounced dead and the two young women brought ashore.
The women — reportedly from Somalia — were rushed to Rang-du-Fliers Hospital.
One of the women was found with chemical burns on her legs, believed to have been a reaction to petrol coming into contact with seawater.
The other is said to have suffered breathing difficulties after inhaling petrol fumes.
The vessel carrying 120 migrants had set sail from Terminus beach in Berck on Sunday evening
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French emergency services rescued 20 other migrants from the water, but the group reportedly refused assistance once brought back to the beach.
They are said to have made their way back towards the dunes following the rescue.
The latest deaths come just days after three migrants were killed when a boat capsized off the coast of northern France.
Roughly 100 people were thrown into the sea, with two women and a 10-year-old child being named as the tragic victims.
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France’s SNSM rescued four migrants from the boat in total
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Two people were also said to be seriously injured.
On Sunday, droves of anti-migrant protesters took to the streets in Hampshire as a separate dingy ferrying 150 migrants arrived on Britain’s south coast.
The small boat set sail from Cherbourg in western Normandy at around 6am on Sunday morning, before reaching the Hampshire coast at around 10.30pm.
Police had been spotted mobilising in Portsmouth and Gosport areas ahead of the protests launched to welcome the arrivals.
The women – reportedly from Somalia – were rushed to Rang-du-Fliers Hospital
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The Hampshire and Isle of Wight force were also seen escorting a convoy of buses, which would be used to transport migrants brought to the nearby port for processing.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight force were also seen escorting a convoy of buses, which would be used to transport migrants brought to the nearby port for processing.
The fresh wave of demonstrations follow a movement which began last month, led by Danny Tommo’s Patriot Platform, which saw protest action in Dover, Portsmouth and Gosport across September.
Tommo, real name Daniel Thomas, has since appeared in court charged with entering a restricted zone at a migrant processing centre in Dover and was remanded in custody last week ahead of his trial next year over accusations of criminal damage against a boat in the Channel.
The protests aim to raise awareness over Labour’s failure to stop the boats.
A Government spokesman said: “The Border Security Command works around the clock to monitor the Channel and protect our border.
“It is vital we continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival.”