Migrant dies after small boat sinks while attempting to cross English Channel overnight
19 May 2025, 08:18 | Updated: 19 May 2025, 09:00
A migrant has died after a small boat sank while trying to cross the Channel overnight, French authorities said.
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The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea said 62 people were pulled from the water after the "overloaded" boat broke up.
The French assistance and rescue intervention tug (RIAS) Abeille Normandie recovered 50 people, while the RNLI recovered two people and the Border Force Ranger nine people.
All those rescued were transferred to the Abeille, and none reached the UK.
A French Navy helicopter assisting in the search spotted an unconscious person in the water, French authorities said.
They were pulled from the water by the RNLI crews but declared dead by the medical team on board the French tug.
Among the survivors was a child and his mother who were suffering hypothermia and airlifted to hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The others were dropped off at Boulogne-sur-Mer quay and taken care of by the land rescue services.
The French coastguard warned of the dangers of crossing the Channel, saying the stretch of water is one of the busiest in the world, with more than 600 merchant ships passing through every day.
Earlier this month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Times Radio that gangs have been "taking advantage of the much higher number of calm weather days" and that the situation "cannot continue" where "the impact on our border security of the weather is so significant".
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More than 10 people have died trying to reach the UK on small boats in 2025.
Last year, 78 migrants died trying to reach England via this method.
A UK Government spokesman said: "We can confirm there has been a tragic incident in the Channel involving a small boat in French waters which has resulted in the loss of one life.
"This latest tragedy underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings, and we continue to do everything we can to prevent callous criminals exploiting vulnerable people. Our thoughts are with those affected."
More than 12,000 people have already made the journey this year, putting 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings.
