More deaths in the English Channel underscore risks for migrants despite UK efforts to stem the tide

By DANICA KIRKA and BARBARA SURK
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Five more people have died in the English Channel, underscoring the risks of crossing one of the world’s busiest sea lanes in overloaded inflatable boats just hours after British lawmakers approved a controversial migrant bill to stop the traffic. The migrants, including a 7-year-old girl, died Tuesday when their boat got stuck on a sandbank off the coast of Pas-de-Calais in northern France. The French navy rescued 49 people, but 58 others refused to disembark and continued on toward Britain. Just hours earlier, the U.K. Parliament approved legislation allowing deportation to Rwanda of those who enter the country illegally.