At least four migrants have died during an attempted Channel crossing – as France rejected Britain’s offer to intercept and return small boats.
The vessel, which was overloaded with dozens of migrants, got into trouble off the coast of Boulogne early this morning.
A large rescue operation was launched just after 7am, with onlookers seeing several bodies floating in the water off the town of Equihen-Plage.
Francois-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, said two men and two women had died, with 42 others rescued.
He described the vessel as a ‘taxiboat’, which refers to a vessel used to ferry migrants from beaches to dinghies waiting offshore.
Two migrants died on April 1 during another attempted crossing. They were the first fatalities of the year, with 36 people dying in 2025.
It comes as Emmanuel Macron’s government rejected a proposal from Shabana Mahmood to allow Border Force vessels to intercept boats in French waters.
The plan was put forward as negotiations continue to renew a multimillion-pound migrant patrol deal between UK and France. The current agreement was set to expire in March but was extended by two months while both sides haggle over new terms.
An estimated 137 migrants crossed the Channel yesterday as smugglers took advantage of calm weather, with French police seen standing idly by as groups of men piled into dinghies off Dunkirk. Crossings have topped 5,000 so far this year.
Speaking of the four people who died today, Mr Lauch said: ‘They were already quite far into the sea.
‘The currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away.
‘This provisional toll – and I insist that it is provisional – states four deceased: two men, two women.’
One person also suffered hypothermia, and another 37 other people are currently being treated by emergency services.
A number of dinghies are currently at sea and being monitored by the French authorities, including a military helicopter, Mr Lauch added.
‘The responsibility lies with the smugglers,’ he told reporters.
There are fears a failure to strike a new deal on funding for beach patrols could turbocharge crossings even further over the warm summer months.
During the negotiations British officials proposed deploying vessels from its fleet of six 42-metre Border Force cutters and five commercial transfer vessels in addition to rigid inflatable boats.
The plan would have seen British vessels intercept small boats before they reached UK waters before taking the migrants on board and returning them to northern France.
Currently, Border Force pick up migrants once they have crossed into UK territorial waters to prevent casualties, before taking them ashore at Dover.
However, the proposal was rejected by the French because it would have involved British officers entering their territorial waters – which they described as a ‘red line’.
The details were revealed by French satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné.
It also revealed that British taxpayers have funded 100 new police vehicles for gendarme in the Pas de Calais – equivalent to a quarter of the total they have available.
The UK will pay France £16.5million to cover the cost of nearly 700 police officers patrolling northern France during the two-month extension, which expires in May.
Taxpayers have already given £658million in security payments to France since 2018, a report by the House of Commons Library set out last year.
Chris Philp MP, Shadow Home Secretary, said: ‘Crossing the Channel on often faulty and defective dinghies is immensely dangerous and puts lives at risk. Labour’s weak approach which allows these crossings to continue is causing lives to be lost, and their unwillingness to take decisive action on illegal immigration is fuelling this crisis. Nearly 70,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the Channel since Keir Starmer came to office – he doesn’t have the backbone to do what is necessary.
‘Stopping the crossings requires more than disruption on the beaches. It requires the swift removal of those who enter illegally so the incentive to make these dangerous journeys disappears.
‘Ending illegal immigration requires real deterrence, and only the Conservative Party has a comprehensive plan to leave the ECHR and rapidly remove every illegal arrival within a week.’
A Government spokesman said today: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear about the deaths in French waters today.
‘Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit. We will continue working relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys.
‘The French authorities are leading the response to this incident and we are supporting their investigation.’
