France, April 2 -- The men, one from Afghanistan and the other from Sudan, died on Wednesday while attempting to board an inflatable dinghy that was carrying around 30 people, authorities in northern France said.

Another 111 people were rescued in several operations in the Channel the same day. 

A Turkish national who was pulled out of the water after the fatal incident was arrested on suspicion of organising the crossing attempt, a French police source told news agency AFP.

The deaths came the day after France and the UK agreed to extend a migration deal to curb Channel crossings by two months to allow for negotiations on a longer-term agreement.

The UK wants to link funding to stricter interception targets, an approach Fra...