Four migrants die in north France trying to board small boat to cross Channel

Four people died on Thursday off the coast of northern France as they tried to board a small boat to cross the Channel to England, taking the number of such deaths this year to six.

The two men and two women were swept away by the current near the village of Équihen-Plage, regional official François-Xavier Lauch said.

Another person was treated for hypothermia, he said, while 37 people were taken into the care of the emergency services.

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The nationalities of the four dead were not yet known, he added.

AFP saw a large number of emergency service vehicles and rescuers gathered on the beach.

People stood by a first aid post nearby, many wrapped in thermal blankets and a few wearing life jackets, with one woman carrying a baby.

Some were gathering up their possessions before boarding a bus to a reception centre.

Lauch told reporters at the scene that the death toll was still "provisional".

The migrants were trying to board a so-called "taxi boat", officials said, referring to dinghies that leave shore discreetly and almost empty before picking up dozens of migrants wading into shallow waters.

The method has been used to try and avoid security forces on the coast from stopping the boats launching.

Local prosecutor Cecile Gressier confirmed that the victims were all adults.

She added that the boat had "continued on its way" after the failed attempt by the other migrants to board it, carrying around 30 other people.

The latest deaths show that smugglers continue to "enrich themselves" by "exploiting the misery and distress" of migrants trying to reach Britain, she said.

Political row

Two men, one Sudanese and the other Afghan, died last week trying to make a similar crossing – the first reported deaths in the Channel this year.

France has long been a launchpad for migrants hoping to reach Britain, taking the dangerous journey in often flimsy, overcrowded vessels.

Last year, at least 29 people died, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.

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The topic of illegal immigration from northern France to Britain has been a political point of contention between Paris and London.

Under ongoing pressure, France changed its approach at the end of last year to allow for interception of taxi-boats at sea, although only under certain conditions.

Lauch said that the police did not intervene to stop the taxi-boat on Thursday.

Nearly 50,000 people aboard 795 boats attempted to make the crossing last year, according to French official figures.

British authorities recorded 41,472 small-boat arrivals in 2025, the second-highest total after a record 45,774 in 2022.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)