Two dead after attempted Channel crossing as around 100 migrants set off from northern France

Two people died overnight while attempting to cross the English Channel in a makeshift boat off northern France, French official Isabelle Fradin-Thirode told AFP. Sixty people were rescued and were being cared for by civil protection, according to Fradin-Thirode. A couple and their child suffering from moderate hypothermia were rushed to a hospital in Boulogne, she added.

The incident occurred south of the beaches of Neufchâtel-Hardelot in the Pas-de-Calais region. The death toll in small-boat Channel crossings this year stands at least 25, with authorities noting that three people died earlier this month in what was likely a crush on the bottom of a packed boat off Calais. Last year, about 50 people died in Channel crossings, according to incidents recorded by the French coastguard.

More than 30,000 people have reached the United Kingdom in small boats so far in 2025, and more than 50,000 have crossed since Labour came to power in July 2024, according to government and coastguard tallies cited by officials. The United Kingdom has faced sustained pressure over the migrant crossings and asylum-seeker applications.

France and the United Kingdom recently agreed on a “one in, one out” returns deal designed to deter boats from crossing the Channel. The arrangement contemplates that for each migrant the UK returns to France, another migrant who has not attempted a Channel crossing but has a strong asylum case would come to Britain.

British politics has echoed the concern. Sir Keir Starmer has described the crossings as “totally unacceptable,” while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said the “vile” people-smugglers behind them are “wreaking havoc on our borders.”

The overnight incident underscores the ongoing dangers associated with Channel crossings and the continuing debate over how best to deter such journeys while processing those who seek asylum in the United Kingdom.