Two dead in attempt to cross the English channel

a child among the deceased

Two individuals lost their lives In the early hours of Wednesday, May 21, 2025, while attempting to cross the English Channel, according to information from the French rescue services.

This tragedy follows a similar incident that occurred just two days earlier on Monday, in which another person died during a crossing attempt.

The latest incident involved a group of approximately 80 migrants who departed from Gravelines in northern France on Tuesday evening aboard a dinghy.

The vessel was being monitored by a French navy ship as it made its way across the Channel.

During the journey, the Gris-Nez regional operational surveillance and rescue centre received reports indicating that two people onboard were unconscious.

In response, a rescue operation was initiated.

A medical team was dispatched to the scene and confirmed that the two individuals were deceased.

Additionally, ten other people aboard the dinghy requested assistance and were rescued.

These ten were transported back to the port city of Calais in northern France.

Despite the deaths and the medical emergency, the remaining migrants on the dinghy chose to continue their journey across the Channel toward the United Kingdom.

It was later discovered that a child was among the deceased.

This fatal incident is the second of its kind within a short span.

On Monday night, another person died when a dinghy sank while attempting a similar crossing.

A French navy helicopter spotted the individual in the water, and a crew from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was able to recover the body.

In that incident, the Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea reported that the vessel had been overloaded, contributing to its failure.

A total of 61 survivors from that crossing were subsequently taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.

These events come amid a marked increase in the number of people attempting to cross the Channel in small boats.

As of last week, the total number of individuals who had arrived in the UK by small boats this year surpassed 12,000.

Specifically, during the seven-day period leading up to 17 May, 1,125 people were recorded making the journey.

On 20 May, another 49 people crossed the Channel in a single vessel. The following day, on May 21, approximately 800 individuals made the crossing.

This was reported by GB News as the highest daily number so far in 2025.

Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, expressed his sorrow following the news of the latest fatalities.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of two more deaths in the Channel,” Solomon said.

“It is devastating that men, women and children who are simply trying to find safety should lose their lives in this tragic way.”

Solomon criticized the UK government’s current strategy for dealing with the Channel crossings.

He argued that the approach has not been effective in preventing such tragedies.

“Deaths in the Channel are happening too often, which is a stark reminder that so far the government’s approach to tackling the crossings is not working,” he stated.

“Enforcement measures alone are not enough to address this complex issue.”

He emphasized that smuggling networks are continuing to exploit the vulnerability and desperation of people fleeing conflict and persecution in countries such as Sudan and Eritrea. T

hese migrants, he noted, are often willing to take dangerous risks in their pursuit of safety and stability.

Solomon called for the UK government to complement its enforcement efforts with expanded access to safe and legal routes for asylum seekers.

One suggestion he made was to allow family members of refugees already residing in the UK to legally join their loved ones.

“As well as enforcement, there needs to be more safe and legal routes for refugees by, for example, allowing family members to travel to be with their loved ones who are already settled in the UK,” he said.

The back-to-back tragedies highlight the continuing dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the English Channel.

It also highand the urgent need for more comprehensive and humane solutions to address the crisis.

The English Channel is also known as the Channel.

It is a narrow arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and links the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

It is approximately 21 miles (34 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point, known as the Strait of Dover.

The English Channel is an important shipping route and a significant geographical feature of Northwest Europe

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