Four people dead attempting to cross English Channel as UK and France row over who should intercept small boats

Four people died off the coast of France while trying to cross the Channel in a small boat, French local authorities said.

At least 42 people were rescued in the incident, which occurred off the coast of Boulogne, between Equihen-Plage and Hardelot-Plage. A French government official said two men and two women who were trying to board the boat died after being swept away by strong currents.

Authorities in Calais said the boat was a “taxi boat,” a type of small boat used to pick up migrants just off the coast of northern France and Belgium.

Pas-de-Calais Governor Francois-Xavier Lauch told reporters on Thursday: “Unfortunately we have to report four deaths this morning. The people who died were trying to get into a taxi.

“As you know, I must commend the actions of our officers and firefighters who are deployed every day to stop these crossings.”

Mr Lauch said emergency services rescued at least 42 people during the incident. Regarding the four people who died, he said: “They were already quite far from the sea. The currents, which could be dangerous here, took them away.

“This provisional death toll (I insist it is provisional) shows four people dead: two men, two women.”

One person also experienced hypothermia and the other 37 people are currently being treated in emergency rooms. Mr Lauch added that a number of other small boats were currently at sea and being monitored by French authorities, including a military helicopter.

In the first two months of 2026, around 2,200 migrants crossed the Channel into Britain, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. About 41,500 people have made the transition in 2025, according to the Oxford University Migration Observatory.

The deaths come as Britain and France continue negotiations over a renewed multimillion-pound deal to fund French police action against small boat migrants.

The French government has rejected a proposal by home affairs minister Shabana Mahmood to deploy British Border Force ships to intercept small boats in French waters and return migrants to France.

French negotiators rejected the plan on the grounds that it would mean British government ships entering French waters.

Independent Last month, it was revealed that the number of migrants dying while trying to cross the English Channel increased after the signing of the last major agreement between England and France.

17 people died or went missing in six fatal incidents in the last four months of 2023; shortly after then-prime minister Rishi Sunak signed a £460m deal with French president Emmanuel Macron to stop small boat migration.

The following year, 83 people were recorded dead or missing in 22 incidents; This was the deadliest year in history. Figures compiled by Sociodigital Futures Center University of Bristol and Swiss research agency Frontier Forensic Sciences at the show. Another 29 people have died or gone missing in 20 deadly incidents in 2025, researchers say.

Figures from 2019 to 2025 show that more people traveling in small boats across the Channel does not lead to more deaths.

The deaths since 2023 have occurred close to the French coast, mostly just off the coast.

A UK government spokesman said: “We were deeply saddened to hear of the deaths in French waters today.

“Every death on the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people for profit. We will continue to work tirelessly with the French and our overseas partners to prevent these dangerous journeys.”

“French authorities are leading the response to this incident and we support their investigation.”