A young migrant was found dead early Sunday, September 28, on a beach in northern France, the latest in a rising number of deaths in attempted Channel crossings, local authorities said. "The body of a young man was discovered on the beach of Saint-Etienne-au-Mont. It is highly likely that he was a migrant who attempted the crossing to Great Britain last night," the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said in a statement.
An investigation will need to determine if there is a connection between the death and an attempted crossing that occurred slightly farther north, near Equihen-Plage, local prosecutor Cécile Gressier told Agence France-Presse. Around 50 migrants who failed to set sail were rescued early Sunday morning at Equihen-Plage, and a 49-year-old woman suffering from hypothermia was taken to hospital, said Isabelle Fradin-Thirode, an official in nearby Montreuil-sur-Mer.
This latest incident brings the number of Channel crossing deaths to at least 27 this year, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Two Somali women died Saturday during one of these attempted crossings near Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The body of another migrant was recovered Saturday morning in the town of Gravelines, next to Dunkirk. His death may have occurred several days earlier, according to the Dunkirk prosecutor's office.
These perilous crossings are made on makeshift boats, just a few meters long, and often referred to as "small boats." The vessels are frequently overloaded, and their departures chaotic. On Saturday, among the numerous departures made possible by favourable weather conditions, 14 needed rescue, according to the French maritime prefecture (PREMAR). In Pas-de-Calais alone, 223 migrants have been rescued since Saturday morning, the prefecture reported.
Despite the steady increase in French resources to prevent these crossings – with substantial financial support from the United Kingdom – these departures are not slowing down. A record 32,000 migrants have reached British shores aboard "small boats" since the beginning of the year.