Two Somali women died yesterday during an attempted Channel crossing in a dinghy carrying 100 illegal migrants.
French police said the women died by suffocation or drowning after the overloaded boat set off for the UK at around 3.15am.
Sixty of those on board were rescued when the dinghy returned to the French shore an hour later ‘after drifting without being able to start’, local officials said.
Among those rescued were a couple and their child, all suffering from mild hypothermia, who were taken to a hospital in the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
In a separate incident, the body of a migrant was found yesterday in a canal leading to the sea in the French coastal town of Gravelines – one of the main set-off points for the dinghies.
At least 25 people have died so far this year trying to make the dangerous crossing in small boats.
Hundreds of migrants have been seen gathering at beaches along the coastline of northern France since Friday, following forecasts of calm sea conditions over the weekend. Despite the large numbers, riot police with truncheons and shields only watched yesterday as scores of illegal migrants prepared to make the crossing.
One observer at Dover yesterday claimed that at least six Border Force cutters arrived at the port through the day and into the evening, landing more than 600 illegal migrants – the vast majority men – on British soil.
Migrants have continued to pile into overcrowded boats as they desperately attempt to cross the Channel just hours after two women died trying to reach Britain
Cecile Gressier, public prosecutor for Boulogne-sur-Mer, said the latest victims were ‘two adult Somali women’. The boat had got into trouble near the town of Neufchatel Hardelot, south of Boulogne. Some migrants were said to have been crushed while many entered the water. Ms Gressier said an investigation has been opened to establish the circumstances of the deaths.
Last year, 78 migrants died trying to reach Britain in small boats – the highest number since 2018 when people smugglers started using dinghies. Since January, a record 32,000 illegal migrants have arrived in Britain by crossing the Channel – and more than 50,000 have crossed since Labour came into power in July 2024.
The Government has come under increasing pressure to stem the number of small boats and to stop the organised criminal gangs that profit from people trafficking.
France and the UK recently agreed on a ‘one in, one out’ deal, which was designed as a deterrent but has so far made no impact. Under the deal, illegal Channel migrants who make it to the UK are swapped for those with strong asylum claims in France who have not attempted the crossing.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously said the crossings are ‘totally unacceptable’ and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said the ‘vile’ people smugglers behind them are ‘wreaking havoc on our borders’.
