A man has died after suffering a cardiac arrest whilst attempting to cross the English Channel to reach the UK, as new figures reveal almost 24,000 people have arrived on small boats so far this year.
French authorities confirmed the man was in cardiac arrest when a boat carrying migrants turned back towards Equihen beach in northern France on Saturday morning. Despite emergency services rushing to the scene, the man was pronounced dead shortly after the vessel reached shore.
The Pas-de-Calais department’s sub-prefecture told the PA news agency that an investigation is underway under the authority of the prosecutor to determine the circumstances of the man’s death. The tragedy marks the latest fatality in what has become an increasingly deadly route, with 73 people confirmed to have died attempting the crossing in 2024 alone – a record number representing five times more deaths than the previous year.
Rising Death Toll
According to data from the Migration Observatory, a total of 152 people have died in the Channel between 2018 and June 2025. This figure rises to 245 when including other migration-related deaths in the area, such as accidents involving people attempting to board lorries bound for the UK.
The sharp increase in fatalities has been attributed to several factors, including the growing number of people crammed into each boat. Average occupancy has risen from 13 people per vessel in 2020 to 53 in 2024, with reports suggesting many boats are dangerously overloaded beyond their intended capacity.
Later on Saturday, in an unrelated incident, an RNLI lifeboat was photographed carrying migrants who had successfully completed the voyage into the Port of Dover. Pictures taken by the PA news agency showed a group huddled under blankets and wearing orange life jackets aboard the rescue vessel.
Record Numbers Continue
Home Office provisional statistics indicate that almost 24,000 people have arrived on small boats in the UK in 2025, continuing an upward trend that began earlier this year. From January to June 2025, approximately 20,000 small boat crossings were recorded – the highest ever number for this period and 48% more than in the same period in 2024.
The overall figure of 174,804 migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats since 2018 represents a significant shift in migration patterns. Before 2018, such crossings were rare, with most irregular migrants attempting to enter the UK by stowing away aboard trains, lorries, or ferry boats.
Government Under Pressure
The latest death comes amid mounting pressure on the government to address illegal immigration, with protests erupting across the UK this week. In Epping, Essex, tensions boiled over after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault just days after arriving in the UK on a small boat.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with three counts of sexual assault, including allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl, eight days after arriving on 29 June. He has denied all charges and remains in custody pending trial on 26 August.
The incident sparked violent protests outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, which has housed asylum seekers since 2020. On Thursday, a crowd of 200 protesters gathered outside the hotel, wearing signs and t-shirts whilst chanting “save our kids” in heavy rain. Essex Police deployed officers from at least six forces to maintain order, with ten arrests made during the week of protests.
Council Calls for Hotel Closures
Epping Forest District Council voted unanimously in favour of closing down The Bell Hotel, with council leader Chris Whitbread stating: “We have consistently shared concerns with the Home Office that the Bell Hotel is an entirely unsuitable location for this facility and should close.”
The protests have cost Essex Police over £100,000 in additional policing, with Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington condemning the violence as “hooliganism” rather than legitimate protest. Six people were arrested on Sunday alone, including four suspected of involvement in “violent disorder” during earlier demonstrations.
Similar concerns have been raised about the Britannia Hotel in London, which has been blocked off in preparation for migrant arrivals. The 500-room hotel has reserved 400 beds for the Home Office at a cost of £81 per night per migrant.
Costly Accommodation Crisis
Home Office sources revealed to The Sun that the average cost per night for a hotel room for a migrant has decreased to £118.87, down from £162.16 in March 2023. However, housing asylum seekers in hotels still costs taxpayers £5.77 million per day – equivalent to approximately £2.1 billion annually.
The Home Office reserves beds in empty hotel rooms to prepare for potential surges in crossings during the summer period, when calmer weather conditions typically lead to increased attempts.
In response to the Epping protests, a Home Office spokesperson said: “We are working to close hotels, restore order, and put fairness and value for money at the heart of our asylum system. We’ll continue to work closely with local police and community partners, in Epping and across the country, as we fix this broken system.”
Previous Tragedies
This latest death adds to a growing list of tragedies in the Channel. In April, another man died after Kent Police were called to a medical incident, with the RNLI launching its all-weather lifeboat to bring the group safely to Dover.
The deadliest year on record was 2024, when 73 people lost their lives attempting the crossing. Notable incidents included 12 deaths on 3 September when the bottom of an overcrowded boat ripped open, and eight deaths on 15 September when a rubber boat hit rocks near Boulogne-sur-mer and began to break apart.
International Response
The UK government has been working with French authorities to prevent crossings, though tensions remain over responsibility for the crisis. French officials report preventing thousands of attempted crossings, but the numbers reaching UK shores continue to rise.
Immigration Minister Chris Philp recently told Parliament that the public are “rightly sick of this illegal immigrant crime wave,” citing multiple cases of serious crimes committed by asylum seekers, including “multiple cases of rape, sexual assault, violence, theft and arson.
As investigations continue into Saturday’s death, the incident serves as another tragic reminder of the dangers faced by those attempting to cross one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes in unsuitable vessels. With summer approaching and crossing attempts likely to increase, authorities on both sides of the Channel face continued pressure to prevent further loss of life whilst addressing the complex political and humanitarian challenges posed by irregular migration.
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Image Credit:
UK Border Force Patrol Vessel at Oban – Photo by Richard Law, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
