US EditionFour people die in Channel crossing attempt, French authorities say
French authorities said the victims were swept away by strong currents as rescue teams saved at least 42 others from the small boat.
- On Thursday, four people died after a small migrant 'taxi-boat' sank in the English Channel off Boulogne, French local authorities confirmed. The victims included two men and two women.
- Authorities refer to these vessels as 'taxi-boats,' with traffickers increasingly picking up migrants along French and Belgian coasts to evade intensified patrols, according to EU border agency Frontex spokesperson Chris Borowski.
- Data from the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory shows 41,500 people crossed the Channel last year, while approximately 2,200 migrants made the journey in the first two months of 2026.
- Emergency services rescued approximately 30 survivors from the water and treated them on the beach in Équihen-Plage after the early morning incident during an attempt to reach Britain.
- France recently rejected a British proposal to deploy British Border Force vessels to intercept small boats, revealing ongoing friction in bilateral cooperation efforts to prevent crossings.
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66 Articles
4 dead, 38 rescued during attempted channel crossing from France to U.K.
French authorities said that at least four people, two men and two women, died on Thursday as they were trying to get onboard an inflatable boat to attempt the perilous sea crossing from northern France to the U.K.
Two men and two women drowned on Thursday morning during an attempt to cross the English Channel in the area of Equihen-Plage, Pas-de-Calais.
Four migrants die trying to cross Channel to England
Four people died on Thursday off the coast of northern France as they tried to board a small boat to cross the Channel to England, taking the number of such deaths this year to six. France has long been a launchpad for migrants hoping to cross the Channel and start a better life in Britain, usually risking the journey in flimsy, overcrowded vessels.
Migrant deaths: Investigation launched after latest Channel crossings tragedy
Two men and two women died and more than 40 people were rescued off the coast of northern France. Four migrants have drowned after being swept away by strong currents while trying to cross the Channel. More than 40 people were rescued off the coast of northern France on Thursday morning. French authorities said an investigation has been launched after two men and two women died as they tried to climb on to a dinghy at Equihen-Plage, near Boulogn…
Four Migrants Die Off Northern French Coast in Attempted Channel Crossing
Four people died on Thursday, April 9th off the coast of northern France as they tried to board a small boat to cross the English Channel, bringing the known total of such deaths this year to six. The two men and two women were swept away by the current near the village of Équihen-Plage, regional official François-Xavier Lauch said. Another person was treated for hypothermia, while 37 others were taken into the care of the emergency services. Tw…
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