Four migrants died off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) during an attempt to cross the Channel on the night of Thursday to Friday, the maritime prefecture said, specifying that other migrants who fell into the water had been saved.
Alerted late in the night that several passengers of a clandestine boat were at sea, the national navy patrol boat Cormoran intervened, recovering the passengers, the prefecture said. But four of them, winched up unconscious, were declared dead.
The deaths bring to at least 19 the number of people who have died trying to reach the UK since the start of the year.
Illegal immigration on the rise in the UK
On April 23, five migrants died off the coast of Wimereux while trying to cross the Channel in an overloaded boat.
More than 12,313 people reached English shores illegally in 2024, mainly from France, according to official British figures in mid-June, while immigration emerged as a major theme in the British legislative elections, won by the Labour Party.
This represents an increase of 18% compared to the same period last year, despite the tightening of policies by conservative governments in recent years.
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