Four people have died in separate attempts to reach the English coast. Three bodies were recovered from inside a boat, while a fourth person died after another vessel capsized. The Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and the site of numerous deadly shipwrecks.
Four migrants have died in two separate attempts to cross the English Channel from France to the UK, French authorities announced on Thursday (July 30).
The first tragedy occurred late Wednesday off the seaside town of Hardelot on France's northwestern coast, where a small boat capsized, according to Pas-de-Calais prefecture authorities.
One man, believed to be between 30 and 40 years old, died. Six other people, including a one-year-old child, suffered minor injuries and were treated by emergency services.
Authorities said security forces had "neutralized" the vessel, without providing further details. A judicial investigation has been opened to uncover the cause of the incident.
Precarious sea crossing claims lives
Hours later, at around 6 a.m. on Thursday, rescue teams were deployed after a small boat was reported near the port of Dunkirk, the maritime prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea said. Three bodies were taken off from the vessel and brought ashore, where their deaths were confirmed.
The latest deaths highlight the risks and dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in overcrowded and often unseaworthy inflatable boats in the hope of reaching the UK. Last month, a woman lost her life after reaching British waters following a Channel crossing from France, according to French and British authorities. Officials said the boat had not requested assistance during the journey, but British authorities intercepted the vessel and found the woman unconscious.
The four deaths bring the number of people who have died attempting to cross the Channel this year to at least 16, according to estimates made by the UN Migration Agency IOM's Missing Migrants project, citing figures based on official French and British sources. At least 29 migrants lost their lives on the route in 2025, according to a tally published by the French press agency Agence France Presse (AFP).
Man treated for hypothermia after attempting to enter 'taxi boat'
The fatal incident off Hardelot followed an attempted Channel crossing that began under favorable weather conditions earlier in the week on Tuesday. Clear skies, calm seas and light winds prompted some migrants to head for the beaches. Some of them had been waiting for days, to try to reach England by small boat, according to a report from France's La Voix du Nord.
At around 10 a.m., what has been dubbed a "taxi boat," a small vessel that collects passengers directly from just off the shoreline, approached Neufchâtel-Hardelot beach. Dozens of migrants entered the water in an attempt to board while being monitored by a sea rescue vessel, a French Navy helicopter and firefighters, according to La Voix du Nord.
Two people "got into difficulty and were brought back to shore by firefighters." One man was treated for hypothermia and the early stages of drowning before being taken to hospital as a precaution.
Migrants who were unable to board returned to the dunes to wait for another opportunity. The boat made several passes close to the beach, picking up additional passengers each time while remaining under the supervision of rescue services, the news agency reported.
With AFP and AP