A person has died and 15 others have been rescued after attempting to cross the English Channel in an overloaded small boat, marking the second fatality in as many days.
French authorities reported that the boat initially left Dunkirk at around 11:30 pm on Wednesday, carrying around 40 people.
Several hours later, at approximately 3:30 am, the boat picked up more passengers along the Gravelines coast, increasing the number of people onboard.
The French coastguard confirmed that three individuals were pulled from the water, while 12 others requested evacuation. One person was found unconscious and, despite medical treatment, was declared dead after being airlifted by a Navy helicopter to a state-chartered vessel monitoring the boat’s journey.
The remaining 14 were brought back to the French shore for medical assistance.
An investigation has been launched by the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office. Meanwhile, French authorities continue to track the dinghy as it heads toward the UK, with around 80 people still onboard.
This incident is part of a larger surge in Channel crossings. Several boats were reported leaving the French coastline overnight on Wednesday.
The previous day, five boats carrying a total of 289 people arrived in Britain, following more than a week of no crossings.
Tragedy struck again on Wednesday morning when two people were pulled from the water near Equihen-Plage after struggling to board a dinghy. One person, suffering from hypothermia, survived, while the other, who was in cardiac arrest, did not.
So far in 2025, at least eight people have lost their lives attempting the dangerous journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, where over 600 commercial vessels pass daily.
In 2024, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration recorded at least 78 deaths, making it the deadliest year on record. Since 2018, when small boat crossings first became widespread due to tighter security at ports and the Eurotunnel, at least 225 migrants have lost their lives.
The small dinghies used for crossings are often dangerously overcrowded. Last year, a father shared with the BBC how his seven-year-old daughter was fatally crushed aboard a boat carrying 110 people.
According to the latest Home Office data, at least 4,684 people have crossed the Channel this year. In 2024, 36,816 people were detected making the crossing, down from a record 45,755 in 2022.
Stopping these dangerous crossings remains a political priority in the UK. While the government has scrapped the previous Conservative administration’s Rwanda deportation scheme, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to dismantle the networks of people-smuggling gangs and increase deportations.
In February, the Home Office announced it had exceeded its target by carrying out nearly 19,000 deportations under Labour, marking the highest figure since 2018.
Despite ongoing concerns, the government has rejected calls to expand safe and legal asylum routes as a strategy to reduce dangerous Channel crossings.
