Last Friday, French authorities reported that a migrant died while attempting to cross the Channel from France to the United Kingdom on an overcrowded vessel, in the latest of a series of fatal incidents.

The French police stated that the remaining 85 people were rescued after authorities responded to their distress call.

In the fatal incident on Friday, migrants requested assistance shortly before 1:00 am (2300 GMT Thursday), from a French navy patrol as their vessel began to sink, police said.

'Heavily loaded'

The maritime prefecture and rescue teams described the boat as "heavily loaded". The patrol saw five people in the sea and "immediately" pulled them aboard, before transferring the remaining passengers to their boat.

Rescuers noticed one of the people on board the boat was unresponsive. First aid was given "immediately" until a medical team could be flown to the patrol by helicopter. However, the person was pronounced dead shortly after, while the 85 rescued migrants were taken to Calais and supported by rescuers.

A police source said the deceased migrant was of Sudanese origin. The others rescued were mostly Ethiopian, Eritrean, or Sudanese.

Police arrested three people who were on board the vessel, prosecutors in the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer told the French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP).

Also read: France: 4 migrants drown in English Channel

Survivor recounts rescue

About 100 people, including migrants, gathered in Calais on Friday evening with candles, some weeping, in a vigil for those who died.

One survivor, a 25-year-old Ethiopian migrant who asked to be identified only as Dargie, said he had survived a similar incident on Wednesday that week.

"It was very difficult, the boat sank because it was overloaded," he told AFP.

He said he had helped two women and two children from the capsized boat onto a French navy vessel.

"I was safe and I had a safety jacket on, so I had confidence and I could save other people," he said. "We knew we would face some risks on our journey, so it happened, what we expected."

However, despite the dangers, he said he was still determined to reach the UK.

"I have no choice… If I get a better opportunity from crossing the border, I will accept it."

Another survivor, Anwar Muhammad, told AFP that the migrants had been told there would be 40 people on the boat, but there were far more, and only 20 of them had life jackets.

Also read: UK: Man arrested in Channel crossings investigation

String of deaths in the Channel

The death on Friday was the third Channel crossing incident ending in a fatality within a week, according to the maritime police. On Wednesday, near the small town of Gravelines on the French coast, an Eritrean woman died during an attempted crossing, after a small boat carrying 72 migrants deflated in the Channel. The remaining 71 passengers were rescued and returned to France.

The previous week (July 12), four migrants drowned off Boulogne-sur-Mer when their vessel deflated and sank, with a navy patrol rescuing dozens of others from the water.

The maritime prefecture said 59 people were brought on board the PSP Cormoran, including an unconscious person who could not be resuscitated by the medical team.

A British vessel, the Border Force Ranger, also saved 13 people from the water, and both ships took the group of people to Calais.

Friday’s death brought the number of migrants who have died trying to cross the Channel so far this year to 22. Over the whole of 2023, the figure was 12, according to French maritime police.

Also read: One migrant dies in Channel and 71 rescued

British border forces seize yacht

On Saturday (July 20), British border forces seized a yacht carrying migrants across the Channel.

The Home Office told the BBC it could not comment on individual crossings, nor confirm how many migrants were on board the yacht on Saturday. But the use of yachts to cross this stretch of water with migrants on board is relatively unusual.

Most migrants attempt the crossing in inflatable dinghies launched from the beach, or just off shore.

According to British government data, 414 people crossed the Channel on Friday (July 19) in a total of seven boats. 228 people made the crossing on Saturday in five different boats, and 114 followed on Sunday (July 21) in just two boats.

Calm and warm weather is often behind an increase in the number of crossing attempts. However, despite appearances, the French authorities constantly remind people of the dangers present in the Channel. More than 120 days a year, wind speeds are higher than force seven, which is described as a strong wind.

Cold water temperatures and strong currents, as well as the sheer amount of vessels crossing a very narrow stretch of water makes the Channel crossing unpredicatable and dangerous.

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New UK government pledges to address irregular migration

Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to "strengthen their cooperation on irregular migration" in bilateral talks on Thursday. Although Starmer noted there was "no easy silver bullet" to stop small boats from making the perilous crossing.

Starmer has pledged 84 million pounds for projects in Africa and the Middle East to address the root causes of irregular migration. Announced at the European Political Community summit, this funding will support education, employment, and humanitarian aid. Starmer emphasized practical solutions over "gimmicks," which is how he described the previous government's stalled Rwanda plan.

The UK will enhance cooperation with Europe on defense and border security, tackling migration "upstream" by dismantling smuggling gangs. The funding will assist Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, migrants in North and East Africa, and provide aid to displaced people in Sudan. Starmer reiterated the UK's commitment to international law and resetting relations with European neighbors post-Brexit.

Also read: Can Labour repair the United Kingdom’s fragmented asylum system?

With AFP