A body has been found and a search is continuing for two people missing in the English Channel, French maritime authorities say.
French maritime authorities said about 180 people were assisted in four rescue operations coordinated on February 28. Searches are still underway for the two missing individuals, they added.
Some of the rescuees later confirmed to the French navy that three people in total had gone missing during their attempt to cross the English Channel.
The navy said that one person had been found who could not be revived.
Also read: France stops 140 migrants from crossing English Channel
Calm seas
The local French prefecture added that "there was an unusually large number of crossing attempts" on February 28, saying that this was due to calm waters on the day.
On the other side of the English Channel, the British government confirmed in a statement that there had been "an incident in the Channel involving a small boat in French waters.
"French authorities are leading the response and investigation."
The sea narrow between France and the UK is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
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900 million euros to 'stop the boats'
In 2023, about 36,000 people tried to reach the United Kingdom from the northern coast of France. Efforts are being intensified on both sides of the Channel to limit the crossings.
The UK government said it had succeeded in bringing numbers down by 36%, preventing 26,000 crossings; however, in January 2024 alone, more than 1,000 people made the journey to Britain.
The UK and France have recently announced further plans to beef up their joint efforts against Channel migrants. The UK has pledged more funds for further policing and extra equipment worth 342 million euros between 2018 and 2022 and another 561 million euros between 2023 and 2026, totalling over 900 million euros in eight years.
The British government under the leadership of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made preventing the arrival of asylum seekers across the English Channel one of its top priorities in a move to woo voters in an election year.
Also read: UK: Government announces more measures to reduce migration
with AP, Reuters