Child dies after falling from crowded migrant boat in English Channel as dinghy continues to Britain

A child migrant died Sunday morning after falling from an English Channel small boat packed with nearly 100 people, and the overcrowded dinghy continued on its voyage to Britain, authorities said. Emergency services said about 48 other migrants on the vessel were rescued after falling into the sea, with roughly 50 still onboard.

Cécile Gressier, the prosecutor in Boulogne-sur-Mer, said the child’s body washed up on Écault beach and that an investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the death. The victim’s age and nationality have not been determined. Other sources at the scene indicated the deceased was a young teenager.

Two Somali women migrants died on Saturday off the coast near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer. They either suffocated on the packed boat before it disintegrated or drowned in the sea. Boulogne prosecutors have opened a criminal enquiry into the weekend deaths to identify the people smugglers responsible for launching the boats. The latest death means that at least 21 people have died this year as they attempt to reach Britain from France on a small boat. Earlier this month, three people, including a child, died on the route after they were crushed at the bottom of a boat.

In 2024, a total of 78 migrants died attempting to reach England by the same route, a record since smugglers began launching small boats filled with migrants in 2018. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has said the government will intensify the fight against the mafias who profit from organizing these crossings of death. In April 2024, a criminal enquiry was launched following the deaths of five migrants, including a little girl near Wimereux, not far from Calais. The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK, the highest single-incident death toll on record.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have pledged to strengthen cooperation to fight people smugglers, including plans tied to a one-in-one-out policy, but critics say more could be done. Still, the flow of migrants remains high, with more than 32,000 people having crossed so far this year, and boats continuing to launch despite the fatalities.