Key facts
- The French coastguard reported the body of a man in his 20s was found on Sainte-Cecile beach near Le Touquet.
- The coastguard described the boarding of the makeshift vessel as chaotic and said five men were treated for hypothermia.
- French authorities stopped the vessel from departing and a sweep found no one in the water.
- The coastguard said an investigation will be opened to determine the circumstances of the incident.
A man in his 20s died after an attempted small boat crossing of the English Channel, the French coastguard reported on November 14, 2026. Authorities said his body was found on Sainte-Cecile beach, near the coastal town of Le Touquet, on Saturday morning.
Overnight, a rescue team from France's Regional Operational Center for Surveillance (CROSS) had been deployed to monitor migrants boarding a makeshift vessel at the beach. The coastguard reported that the vessel was stopped from departing by French authorities and that no one was found in the water following a thorough sweep. It described the boarding process as chaotic and said five men were attended to by firefighters at the scene for signs of hypothermia.
A small craft was then deployed which, along with land-based units from the local fire and rescue service, conducted a thorough sweep of the area but found no one in the water. Following the operation, at approximately 08:00 (09:00 GMT), the body of a man in his twenties was discovered on the beach, the coastguard reported. It added that an investigation will be opened to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In the latest week of data, ending November 8, the UK government reported that 903 migrants arrived by small boat into the UK in 14 boats. A further 624 migrants were prevented from making the crossing, the data shows. "Our improved monitoring has led to uncontrolled crossings becoming incredibly rare, but even one is one too many," she said at the time.