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LILLE (France): Two migrants died Wednesday while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French maritime authorities said.

Rescue services responded to eight people in distress following an attempt to board a vessel on the northern French coast, according to the maritime prefecture for the Channel and the North Sea.

The two dead were a Sudanese man and an Afghan man, according to a police source.

Authorities also took a woman to hospital, though her condition is not life-threatening.

Five survivors were taken into custody, the police source added.

The eight were among around 30 people waiting to board the boat, spotted by French authorities early Wednesday morning.