Five people died off the coast of northern France on Sunday as they were trying to cross the English Channel by boat. Four reportedly drowned at sea and a fifth body was found on the beach at Wimereux later in the day.

A sixth person was reported on Sunday to be in a "critical condition," suffering from "severe hypothermia." Another person was also said to be in a "serious" condition.

Boat capsized during boarding

The French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) said that the local prosecutor’s office had said that the boat had tipped over in the process of being launched from the beach, due to the swell and the rising tide.

The victims were reported to be young men of either Syrian or Iraqi origin. Autopsies will determine the exact cause of death, reported AFP, which may include "drowning" or "thermal shock."

According to a statement from the French authorities, several of the migrants on board the boat that got into trouble off Wimereux attempted to swim back to shore. On shore authorities tried to help those who got closer to the beach. The navy sent a boat and a helicopter to help with the operations.

At around 2 am, three bodies were spotted at sea. The body of a fourth person was spotted later and picked up by boat.

182 migrants picked up by French authorities during the weekend

Overnight on Saturday (January 13-14) a total of 182 people were rescued by the French authorities. Including two young children, and a pregnant woman. La Voix du Nord reported that one of those rescued was a one-month-old baby. They were all taken for medical care in the French port city of Boulogne.

Also read: Two people drown attempting Channel crossing

In a statement, also posted on X, the French maritime authority said that operations had begun on Saturday evening off the coast of Calais. Initially 58 people were brought to safety in Boulogne.

Another boat was helped by the French navy after it got into difficulty. 20 people were rescued from the boat but, according to the authorities, others refused their assistance and continued on their journey.

"Given the risks of forcing migrants to board the naval boats, which include the potential to fall in the sea, thermal shock or other injuries," the French authorities took the decision to follow the boat until they reached their destination, read the statement.

Stuck at the base of cliffs, cut off by the tide

On Sunday, another ship helped first nine migrants, then 34 to safety after their boats got into difficulty. Also on Sunday, two people who had been stuck at the base of cliffs and blocked by the rising tide were airlifted to safety by a navy helicopter.

A helicopter was also used in "several search and rescue operations" during the night, stated the French authorities.

Later on Sunday, the authorities helped 33 people on board a boat in the Channel, several others on board refused help and said they would continue with their journey. But they got into trouble a second time and 26 more people were rescued. All 59 were brought back to the harbor in Boulogne.

The French authorities say an investigation has been launched into what happened on the beach at Wimereux. The helicopter and six vessels remain on alert to save more people who might get into difficulty in the area. They warn anyone against attempting to cross the Channel, both because it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and because of the weather conditions which are often difficult, with wind speeds exceeding force 7 for at least 120 days a year. Freezing temperatures in the winter make crossing in small boats even more problematic, especially when they are unseaworthy and overloaded.

'Migrants want to get on board at all costs'

Jean-Claude Lenoir, the head of Salam, a local organization that works with migrants, said migrants were taking huge risks trying to board the bigger boats already at sea. "Migrants want to get on board at all costs. They quickly fall victim to hypothermia or drowning," he told AFP.

In 2023, at least 12 migrants lost their lives at sea trying to cross the Channel, others died in and around the northern French coasts from various causes.

Afghans, Iranians, Turkish people, Eritreans and Iraqis are among the nationalities most commonly attempting the Channel crossing.

According to British Home Office (Interior Ministry) figures, 124 people reached the UK across the Channel on Saturday, in three separate boats. These were the first crossings of the new year and the first crossing attempts in 27 days. On Sunday another 139 arrived in the UK in four separate boats.

At the start of the year, the government said that 29,437 migrants crossed the Channel to reach the UK in 2023. They said the numbers crossing were 36% lower than in the previous year when 45,775 people were recorded as crossing, reported the news agency Reuters.

Stopping people from reaching the UK to claim asylum is one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s top five pledges. As the country prepares for elections later this year, the government has been working hard to try and show that it has met the pledges.

With AFP, AP, Reuters