Indian man dies in Channel crossing attempt

LONDON — A man has died after a migrant boat sank while attempting to cross the English Channel on Sunday morning.

French officials say the man – an Indian national around 40 years old – suffered a cardiac arrest and could not be revived by emergency services.

The boat deflated shortly after it left the coast at Tardinghen, near Calais, at 05:30 local time (04:30 GMT), and those aboard swam back to shore, French authorities said.

This was the third lethal sinking in the past 10 days, in what is already the deadliest year on record for Channel crossings.

On Wednesday, three people died after a small boat bound for the UK carrying dozens of migrants sank in the Channel. A rescue operation recovered 45 people off the French coast.

Prior to that, a four-month-old baby died when an overloaded migrant boat sank on the evening of 18 October. Rescuers saved 65 others.

More than 100 people have been rescued from migrant boats in distress since Thursday, according the French coastguard.

Several attempts to cross the Channel were stopped by police and gendarmes on Sunday morning – including in Equihen-Plage, Calais and Sangatte – according to French authorities.

Officials say attempted crossings have increased in recent days due to favourable weather conditions.

New UK government figures show the number of migrants who arrived in small boats so far this year has already surpassed 2023’s total.

As of Friday, there had been 29,578 in 2024, compared to 29,437 across all of 2023. Last year’s total was lower than the record of 45,774 arrivals in 2022.

The Home Office has pledged to “stop at nothing” to dismantle people-smuggling gangs that organise small boat crossings.

A spokesperson said: “Our new border security command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute these evil criminals.”

An undercover BBC investigation published on Friday exposed a group of people-smugglers in Germany offering a Channel crossing “package” for €15,000 (£12,500).

The package included an inflatable dinghy with an outboard motor and 60 life jackets. The smugglers said they stored the boats in multiple secret warehouses to hide them from the German police.

Figures produced by the UN show this year has already been the deadliest for migrant crossings in the Channel.

The latest sinking means at least 57 people have died attempting the journey in 2024.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of charity Refugee Council, said it was “vital” that the government did “everything possible” to ensure refugees no longer had to put their lives in danger.

He added: “We must not forget that those making the perilous journeys across the Channel are desperate men, women and children fleeing persecution and war, in countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan, simply seeking safety and a future free from fear.” — BBC