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Migrant dies as overloaded boat sinks in Channel; 62 rescued

The incident occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday, and 62 people were rescued from the water, the Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea said.

Migrants boat

Migrants swim to board a smugglers' boat in order to attempt crossing the English channel off the beach of Audresselles, northern France on October 25, 2024.

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A PERSON has died after a small overloaded boat sank while attempting to cross the English Channel, according to French authorities.

The incident occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday, and 62 people were rescued from the water, the Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea said.


A French Navy helicopter spotted an unconscious person in the water. The individual was later declared dead by the medical team on board a French assistance and rescue intervention tug, French authorities said.

A mother and her baby suffering from hypothermia were taken to hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. The French tug rescued 50 people, the RNLI rescued two, and the Border Force Ranger recovered nine people, the BBC reported.

ALSO READ: Channel migrant crossings pass 11,000 in record time

The remaining rescued individuals were taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer quay and handed over to land rescue services.

A migrant also died in a Channel crossing attempt in April.

More than 12,500 people have crossed the Channel on small boats so far in 2025. April's crossings were 42 per cent higher than in 2024 and 81 per cent higher than in 2023, BBC reported.

Home Office figures show this is the highest January–April total since records began in 2018.

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