Two dead, 60 rescued after failed Channel crossing off northern France
About 100 migrants were aboard a makeshift boat bound for the United Kingdom; 60 were rescued and a couple with a child were hospitalized for hypothermia as authorities investigate the weekend incident.
Two people died and about 100 migrants were attempting to reach the United Kingdom when a makeshift boat ran into trouble off the northern coast of France early Saturday, according to French officials." Sixty people were rescued and are being cared for by civil protection, Isabelle Fradin-Thirode told AFP." A couple and their child suffering from moderate hypothermia were rushed to a hospital in Boulogne, Fradin-Thirode added. The incident occurred south of the beaches of Neufchâtel-Hardelot in the Pas-de-Calais region.
At least 25 people have died this year trying to cross the Channel in small boats, authorities have said. Earlier this month, three people died off the coast near Calais in what officials described as a crush on the hull of a packed boat. Last year, 50 people died while attempting the crossing, according to the French coastguard.
More than 30,000 people have reached the UK in small boats so far in 2025, and more than 50,000 have crossed since the Labour Party came to power in July 2024. The UK government has faced mounting pressure to curb crossings, as asylum-seeker applications rise. France and the UK recently agreed on a one in, one out returns deal designed to deter further crossings: for each migrant the UK returns to France, another migrant with a strong asylum case will be admitted to Britain.
Sir Keir Starmer has said the crossings are totally unacceptable, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has described the people-smugglers behind them as wreaking havoc on our borders. The cross-Channel route remains dangerous, and authorities warn that rescue operations will continue as policymakers weigh deterrence measures with humanitarian obligations.