Another woman dies trying to cross English Channel
In this weekend, a woman became the first person to die while attempting to cross the English Channel. According to the AFP news service, her body was discovered on Sunday morning on a beach near Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France, with her age and nationality not known. The latest tragedy comes after two Somali women died when their makeshift boat got into trouble on Saturday, raising the number of deaths from illegal crossing attempts between France and the United Kingdom this year to at least 27. On Saturday, nearly 900 migrants are thought to have crossed the Channel in small boats, though over 33,000 have done so since the start of 2025.
According to Cécile Gressier of Boulogne-sur-Mer, an investigation will determine if there is a correlation between the latest death and an attempted crossing near Equihen-Plage, a little north of Boulogue-sur–Mer A 49-year-old woman was discovered suffering from hypothermia and was admitted to the hospital. The Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and North Sea said in a press release on Saturday that one of many attempted crossings on makeshift boats due to favourable weather and 14 mandatory emergency services. Despite the steady increase in French resources to avoid perilous crossings, with significant financial assistance from the UK, there are no signs that the attempts are slowing down. The UK government has been put under increasing strain over the number of small boats crossing into the UK and asylum seekers. This year, the number of people who have crossed the Channel illegally this year has hit a record high, and more than 50,000 have crossed since Labour took power in July 2024.
