BY ANTHONIA EMMANUEL
A tragic incident in the English Channel has left one person dead and 61 others rescued after an overcrowded migrant boat broke apart during an attempted crossing overnight.
The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea stated that the boat, which was carrying dozens of migrants, disintegrated in the water, prompting a large-scale emergency response. Rescue teams were quickly deployed to the scene, and efforts are ongoing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Among the survivors were a mother and her child, both suffering from hypothermia, according to Sky News. They were airlifted to the hospital for urgent medical attention, while the remaining passengers were brought ashore in Boulogne-sur-Mer, roughly 30km south of Calais. Authorities have not yet released details about their current conditions.
The French rescue tug Abeille Normandie led the emergency response, deploying three speedboats that recovered 50 people from the water. Additional support came from the British side: two individuals were rescued by the RNLI lifeboat from Dungeness, and nine more were saved by the Border Force vessel Ranger. All were eventually transferred to the Abeille Normandie.
In a heartbreaking discovery, a French Navy helicopter spotted an unconscious person floating in the water. The RNLI brought the individual aboard the rescue vessel, but they were later declared dead by the medical team on board.
A UK government spokesperson confirmed the incident and expressed condolences: “This latest tragedy underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings, and we continue to do everything we can to prevent callous criminals exploiting vulnerable people. Our thoughts are with those affected.”
This latest incident comes amid a sharp rise in Channel crossings. So far this year, over 12,000 people have arrived in the UK via small boats. In just the past week leading up to 17 May, more than 1,100 made the dangerous journey.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated his commitment to tackling the criminal smuggling networks behind these perilous crossings, pledging to “smash the gangs.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also weighed in, warning that without stricter immigration control, the UK “risked becoming an island of strangers.” He has pledged to reduce net migration by the end of the current parliamentary term in 2029.
As investigations into the latest incident continue, officials on both sides of the Channel are once again facing urgent calls to address the humanitarian and political challenges of migration and border safety.
