Hours after the U.K. approved the migrant deportation bill, at least 5 people died while crossing the English Channel, according to French media.
The Voix du Nord newspaper said the bodies were discovered at the Wimereaux beach in northern France on Tuesday.
The rescue operation is ongoing and helicopters and boats have been deployed, according to the regional newspaper.
About 100 migrants have been rescued and placed aboard a French navy ship. They will be taken to the port of Boulogne, the paper said.
This came only hours after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s latest effort to send some migrants on a one-way ticket to Rwanda finally won approval from Parliament. Human rights groups have described the legislation as cruel.
The U.K. government plans to deport some of those who enter the country illegally as a deterrent to migrants who risk their lives in leaky, inflatable boats in hopes that they will be able to claim asylum once they reach Britain.
