Tragedy underscores failure to create safe routes for asylum seekers, say campaigners.
Published On 9 Apr 2026
Four people have died while attempting to board an inflatable dinghy off the northern coast of France, as another dangerous English Channel crossing has turned deadly.
Authorities said the incident took place early on Thursday near Calais, when a group of migrants waded into the sea to reach a small boat positioned offshore.
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Christian Fourcroy, mayor of Equihen-Plage town in France, said the group ran into difficulty while trying to board the boat.
“[They] tried to board the boat. Things went wrong and, let’s just say, they floundered in the water. Among them were two women and two men who died,” Fourcroy told the Reuters news agency.
He added that a fifth person remains in a critical condition.
The prefect of the Pas-de-Calais region in northern France, Francois-Xavier Lauch, told The Associated Press news agency that 38 other people were rescued, including one with a medical emergency.
Emergency services launched a rescue operation along the coastline between Equihen and Ecault, also in France. Despite the chaos in the water, the dinghy continued its journey towards the United Kingdom after moving into deeper waters, local officials said.
The Boulogne prosecutor has opened an investigation into the deaths.
Thousands of crossings
Attempted crossings and deaths have surged in recent days. French maritime authorities said on Wednesday that 102 people had been rescued in two separate operations while trying to cross the channel. Last week, two people died in a similar incident off the coast north of Calais.
Crossings across the Channel – one of the world’s busiest shipping routes – have continued despite heightened enforcement efforts by France and the UK. Trafficking networks have increasingly relied on so-called “taxi boats”, which move along the coastline to pick up migrants already in the water in a bid to evade police patrols.
According to UK government figures, 4,776 people crossed the channel between January 1 and April 4 this year, following more than 41,000 crossings in 2025.
The UK remains a destination for many undocumented migrants due to family ties, language and the alleged prospect of work. However, the journey is frequently perilous, with overcrowded boats and unpredictable conditions putting lives at risk.
The issue has also intensified political debate across Europe. In the UK, the rise in crossings has bolstered support for Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party, while in France, Marine Le Pen has capitalised on anti-immigration sentiment.
Paris and London have sought to deter crossings through a “one in, one out” scheme, allowing some migrants to enter the UK legally in exchange for the return of others who arrive by boat.
Rights groups say such measures fail to address the root causes driving people to risk the journey.
“Policing the Channel alone is not enough to prevent dangerous crossings,” Imran Hussain of the UK’s Refugee Council said in a statement, reacting to Thursday’s deadly incident, adding that safer pathways needed to be created.
