Four people died off France’s northern coast early Thursday after they were swept away while trying to board a dinghy to cross the English Channel. At least 42 others were rescued in the incident between Équihen-Plage and Hardelot-Plage off Boulogne.
“We sadly have to report four deaths this morning,” Francois-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, told reporters. He said the people who died were attempting to board a “taxi-boat” — a term French authorities use for small vessels that pick up travellers along the northern French and sometimes Belgian coasts. Lauch added the victims were already quite far out to sea when dangerous currents swept them away. He said the death toll was provisional. One person suffered hypothermia and a further 37 were being treated by emergency services. Several small boats were being monitored by French authorities, including by military helicopter. “The responsibility lies with the smugglers,” Lauch said.
A UK government spokesperson said it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths and called every Channel death a tragedy and a reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people. The spokesperson said the UK would continue working with France and partners to try to prevent the perilous journeys.
Two other migrants died on April 1 and six more were rescued off Gravelines near Calais. According to Home Office and interior ministry figures, nearly 5,000 people have reached the UK without permission via small boats so far in 2026, with more than 450 arrivals in the first days of April across seven boats. In 2025, more than 40,000 people are known to have made the crossing. Last month the UK and France failed to agree a new beach patrol deal and instead extended current arrangements while negotiating a longer-term plan. The crossings remain a politicised issue in the UK.
Also on Thursday, Europol announced a cross-border bust of a Vietnamese smuggling ring that organised travel to the EU and onward to the UK. According to Europol, migrants entered the Schengen Area using Hungarian short-stay visas or residence permits, flew to France, were housed in the Paris region, then moved to the coast and taken across the Channel on small boats. Europol said the final crossing to the UK was organised by a connected Kurdish-Iraqi smuggling network active in northern France.
Authorities reported eight arrests — six in France, one in Germany and one in Hungary — and said one suspected network leader was arrested in Germany on a European arrest warrant. Europol said it seized about 20 passports, three vehicles, electronic devices and roughly €10,000 in cash. It estimated criminal profits of up to €3 million for the group, saying the network transported at least 15 migrants per month and charged about €22,000 for the full journey, the equivalent of several years’ salary for an average earner in Vietnam.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher