Key facts
- Two men died attempting to cross the English Channel off Berck, France.
- Rescuers found at least 80 people on an overloaded boat.
- Two women were hospitalized with gasoline burns.
- The UK Home Office recorded 19,451 Channel crossings this year.
Two men died after their small boat capsized while attempting to cross the English Channel off the coast of Berck in northern France. Local media reported that police observed migrants departing the beach on a boat around 10 p.m. on Sunday. When rescuers arrived, the vessel was overloaded, and occupants were using their shoes to bail out water. Jean-Marc Lamblin, director of the French national sea rescue service (SNSM), told La Voix du Nord newspaper that there were at least 80 people on board and a strong smell of gasoline. Two women suffered burns from the gasoline mixture in the seawater and were taken to hospital; their conditions are not life-threatening. Lamblin also stated that the boat was so crowded, including children, that approximately 20 people were left in the water as they could not board. The two men, aged in their 30s and 40s, were found in cardiac arrest upon the SNSM's arrival. They were brought back to shore, where paramedics attempted to revive them, but they died around midnight. The Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office has initiated an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths. The two women, aged 20 and 26, are from Somalia and are recovering at Rang-du-Fliers hospital. Separately, the UK Home Office reported that 149 migrants were rescued in the mid-Channel on Sunday and brought to Gosport, England. This year, the UK Home Office has recorded 19,451 Channel crossings, a 43% decrease compared to the same period last year and 23% lower than at this stage in 2024.