Migrants have continued to pile into overcrowded boats as they desperately attempt to cross the Channel just hours after two women died trying to reach Britain.The female migrants died while a further 60 were rescued after 100 squeezed into an overcrowded makeshift boat on Saturday morning off the coast near Neufchatel-Hardelot.The pair are feared to have suffocated or drowned while about 60 people 'are currently being taken care of' following the incident, French officials said. Local Mayor Paulette Juilien-Peuvion said: ‘Two women died, and some sixty others were rescued.‘What could have happened, I don’t know. I was called during the night to be told that a boat had left and that people were in the water.’Police at the scene said the women – both thought to be from the east African country of Somalia – either suffocated on the packed boat before it disintegrated, or drowned in the sea.‘An investigation has been launched – the remains of the boat are being examined,’ said one officer.‘Neither of the deceased has yet been identified. Plenty of people ended up in the sea, but others were crushed before it went down.’ Migrants have continued to pile into overcrowded boats as they desperately attempt to cross the Channel just hours after two women died trying to reach Britain One inflatable boat, packed with more than a dozen migrants, was seen setting off across the Channel from a beach in GravelinesBoulogne prosecutors have opened a criminal enquiry as they try to find the people smugglers responsible for launching the boat.A family of three was among the survivors taken to Boulogne Hospital for further examination, while others were treated for hypothermia.Their boat is thought to have got into difficulty at around 5am, soon after launching.Despite the deaths, groups of migrants continued to crowd into boats on Saturday as they looked to reach the UK. One inflatable boat, packed with more than a dozen migrants, was seen setting off across the Channel from a beach in Gravelines.The deaths of the women mean there have been at least 25 fatalities from Channel crossings this year, with children among three who died on the route earlier month after they crushed at the bottom of a boat.A total of 78 migrants died in 2024 while trying to reach England in the same way. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has said of such tragedies: ‘Our government will intensify the fight against these mafias who are getting rich by organising these crossings of death.’ In April 2024, a criminal enquiry was launched following the deaths of five migrants including a little girl around Wimereux, near Calais.The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK – the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.A record 32,000 migrants have arrived in Britain by crossing the Channel in small boats since January. Despite the deaths, groups of migrants continued to crowd into boats on Saturday as they looked to reach the UK Since the 'one in, one out' deal came into force on August 6, 6,752 small boat migrants have crossed the Channel and reached BritainUnder Labour's 'one in, one out' deal the UK can return migrants after arrival if they are deemed ineligible for asylum, including those who have passed through a 'safe country' to reach UK shores.In return, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who are likely to have their asylum claims granted.The first migrants from France under Labour's deal arrived in the UK on Thursday.A family of three, including a small child, came to Britain after successfully completing the online application process, the Home Office said. Four migrants have so far been sent back to France under the deal - one Indian national, one Eritrean, one Iranian and one Afghan.Since the treaty came into force on August 6, 6,752 small boat migrants have crossed the Channel and reached Britain.A Home Office spokesman said: 'The UK-France deal is a historic agreement, and these are critical first steps. 'This is a clear message to people-smuggling gangs that illegal entry into the UK will not be tolerated.