Four people die in Channel small-boat sinking

Two men and two women have died after a small boat sank in the Channel between France and Britain, French local authorities have said.

They died after being swept away by strong currents while trying to board a dinghy, according to François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais. The dinghy was described as a taxi-boat, which travels along stretches of the northern French and Belgian coasts, picking up refugees and migrants along the shore.

At least 42 others were rescued in the incident off the coast of Boulogne, between Équihen-Plage and Hardelot-Plage.

Lauch said of the four people who died: “They were already quite far into the sea. The currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away. This provisional toll – and I insist that it is provisional – states four deceased: two men, two women.”

One other person had developed hypothermia and another 37 people were being treated by emergency services.

Thursday’s incident occurred the day after 102 people got into difficulty trying to cross the Channel and had to be rescued.

In another recent incident, two people died trying to make the crossing at the beginning of April.

People smugglers who operate taxi-boats move along the coast picking up people at different points rather than having one fixed launching point into the sea. There have been reports that some of the taxi-boats are starting their journeys from Belgium and then moving along the French coast.

Imran Hussain, the director of external affairs at the Refugee Council, said: “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the four people who have tragically died in the Channel attempting to reach safety in the UK.

“People who have escaped devastating wars and brutal regimes in countries like Sudan and Afghanistan are being driven into small boats by desperation. A lack of safe routes to the UK has left people feeling they have no other choice to rebuild their lives: the government has even shut down family reunion for refugees, which overwhelmingly supported women and children.”

Charlotte Khan, the head of advocacy and public affairs at Care4Calais, said: “Another four lives have been needlessly lost to our deadly border. As our government continues to focus on ineffective deterrents, tragedies continue to happen. These deaths are on their hands. They could end the deaths on our border overnight by introducing safe routes for refugees to claim asylum in the UK. That they won’t is a political choice which shames them.”

Elsa Faucillon, a French Communist party MP who is involved in the national assembly’s inquiryinto the Le Touquet agreement between the UK and France, said tributes would be paid in the assembly on Thursday to those who had died.

She posted on X: “Favourable weather windows are multiplying and the deaths are piling up in the Channel … This must stop.”

Sam Turner, the director of migration and displacement at British Red Cross, said: “It is devastating to see people lose their lives attempting to cross the Channel. We continue to see men, women and children taking these perilous journeys in search of safety, as they flee war, violence and persecution. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.

“We know from our decades of experience supporting people seeking asylum, no one risks their life like this unless they feel they have no other option. We need more safe routes to prevent people taking these dangerous journeys to reach the UK.”

A UK government spokesperson said:“We are deeply saddened to hear about the deaths in French waters today. Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit. We will continue working relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys.

“The French authorities are leading the response to this incident and we are supporting their investigation.”

The UK and France are negotiating a fresh deal to stop small boats crossing the Channel, with an interim arrangement in place after they failed to renew an agreement that expired on 31 March.

More than 5,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, to the UK so far this year. About 41,500 people made the crossing last year.