Child, two women die during Channel crossing attempt

A 10-year-old child and two women died after a boat carrying 105 people ran into trouble off the northern coast of France during an attempt to cross the English Channel, French authorities said. All the other passengers were rescued.

The boat had departed from Blériot Plage in Sangatte on Monday morning, according to the BBC. French maritime police received a distress call from the inflatable dinghy, which was in calm seas, Al Jazeera reported. The incident occurred off Wissant, a seaside village in northern France, the prefecture said.

Rescuers treated three passengers aboard the boat, but an emergency medical team flown out by helicopter confirmed that they had died, according to the French Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea. The BBC reported that the two women were both 30 years old.

Initial findings suggested that the deaths were caused by trampling, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said, though an investigation is under way to establish the exact cause. Nine of the 102 surviving passengers received emergency treatment after arriving at the port of Calais, according to the prefecture.

The boat did not sink, and everyone aboard had requested rescue, Al Jazeera reported, citing the maritime prefecture. A rescue vessel reached Calais in mid-morning and began bringing people ashore, according to an AFP account cited by Al Jazeera.

Authorities described the vessel as a “taxi boat,” a dinghy that approaches a beach from the sea to pick up passengers in shallow water. People boarding such boats may have to wade into the water. Three other people died following similar departures last week, according to French authorities.

François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, blamed smuggling networks for exposing vulnerable people, including children, to the dangers of the crossing. Monday’s deaths brought the number of migrants who have died on the route this year to 20, the prefecture said. It recorded 21 deaths by the same point last year.

Thousands of people attempt the journey from France to Britain each year across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Attempts tend to increase in summer, when conditions are warmer and seas are calmer. According to Home Office figures cited by the BBC, 18,609 people had successfully crossed in small boats so far in 2026, down 42% from 32,188 at the same point in 2025. On Wednesday, 781 people arrived in 10 boats, the highest daily total recorded so far this year.

France and the UK agreed last July to a “one in, one out” arrangement allowing Britain to return some small-boat arrivals while accepting an equal number of people from France believed to have legitimate claims to come to the UK. Al Jazeera reported that the two countries signed a further agreement in April to strengthen efforts to prevent crossings through increased staffing, technology and intelligence resources.