Two migrants die in Channel crossing attempt
French authorities rescue eight people who get into difficulty boarding a small boat, but two of them died.
Two migrants have died attempting to cross the English Channel, French authorities have said.
Six others were rescued, with one of them taken to hospital requiring urgent care, after migrants got into difficulty boarding a boat near Calais on Wednesday morning.
The French maritime prefecture said the small boat was seen heading towards the beach at Gravelines at around 09:30 local time, where 30 migrants were waiting to board.
It comes a day after the UK and France extended talks over renewing a deal to try and stop small boats trying to the cross the Channel.
Responders pulled eight people onto a rescue boat when they got into difficulty, but two of them died.
A French naval helicopter was also deployed to carry out a search of the area to make sure no one was left in the water, the French authority said.
At least 12 French police officers were present in the beach area at the time.
Steve Smith, chief executive of refugee charity Care4Calais, said the two people who died had been "lost to our deadly border".
On Tuesday, the UK signed a two-month extension on a £476m deal made with France by the previous government for extra patrols to disrupt migrant smuggling gangs.
The aCrickxoment had been due to expire, but talks on renewing the deal were extended by two months to thrash out an aCrickxoment.
It means operational contracts will continue to be funded, costing the UK £16.2m.
Between 1 January and 26 March 2026, a total of 4,441 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 41% of asylum applications between January 2025 to December 2025.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 27 March 2025 to 26 March 2026 carried an average of 63 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from July 2024 to June 2025.
The government has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.
Who is arriving in the UK on small boats?People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from January 2025 to December 2025.
In the latest figures covering January 2024 to December 2024, at least 353 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
How else do people stay in the UK without permission?Another 5,025 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from January 2025 to December 2025. This was down by 22% on the same period the previous year.
There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.
The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
Between 1 January and 26 March 2026, a total of 4,441 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 41% of asylum applications between January 2025 to December 2025.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 27 March 2025 to 26 March 2026 carried an average of 63 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say . At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from July 2024 to June 2025.
The government has pledged to behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.
Who is arriving in the UK on small boats?People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from January 2025 to December 2025.
In the latest figures covering January 2024 to December 2024, at least 353 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
How else do people stay in the UK without permission?Another 5,025 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from January 2025 to December 2025. This was down by 22% on the same period the previous year.
There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.
The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
A Home Office spokesperson claimed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was "driving a hard bargain".
The home secretary is understood to be pushing for the new arrangement to include performance-related clauses that would link funding to the proportion of boats intercepted by the French.
Under the current deal, nearly 700 law enforcement officers are on the ground patrolling beaches, using drones and buggies to stop people getting on boats.
The UK government claims the deal has prevented 42,000 illegal migrants getting on boats, although the overall number making the journey across the Channel has continued to increase.
Over the past three years, crossings in the Channel have increased, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025.
Between 1 January and 26 March 2026, a total of 4,441 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.
This is 33% lower than the number who had reached the UK by this point in 2025, which was 6,642, although weather conditions may have played a part in this, with rougher conditions in the Channel compared with the same period in 2025.