Three Dead, Including Child, in Channel Crossing Attempt

A 10-year-old child and two 30-year-old women have died after a small boat that was attempting to cross the English Channel got into difficulty off the northern coast of France, local authorities have said.

Officials responded to a distress call from the boat, which was carrying 105 people, after it departed from the Blériot Plage in Sangatte on Monday morning.

Three passengers were treated on board but were later confirmed dead by an emergency medical team flown out by helicopter, the French Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said.

Pas-de-Calais prefecture said its initial findings suggested the deaths were caused by trampling but an investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause.

Of the 102 other people on board, nine were treated by emergency services upon their arrival in the port of Calais, the prefecture said.

François-Xavier Lauch, prefect of Pas-de-Calais, blamed the incident on smuggling networks, which he said expose vulnerable people, including children, to the deadly risks of crossings.

The prefecture described the boat as a taxi-boat, which requires migrants to wade out onto the water to board.

Three other people died after similar taxi-boat departures last week, French authorities said.

Monday’s deaths take the total number of migrants who have died so far this year to 20, according to Pas-de-Calais prefecture. For the same period last year, it said the number was 21.

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In July last year, France and the UK agreed on a “one in, one out” returns deal, which was designed as a deterrent to stop boats from crossing the Channel.

The deal allows the UK to return some small boat arrivals while agreeing to take in the same number of people from France who are believed to have a legitimate claim to come to Britain.

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So far, 2026 has seen 18,609 people successfully make the Channel crossing, which is 42% lower than the same period in 2025 when 32,188 had crossed in small boats.