Indian Man Dies As Boat Deflates While Trying To Cross English Channel

An Indian man died on Sunday after a migrant boat sank during an attempt to cross the Channel to Britain, French officials said. 

The Indian was in a group that had set off from the beach of Tardinghen in northern France but died when the boat, which was in “very poor condition”, deflated “immediately” after leaving the beach, officials said.

Not all the passengers had life jackets, but most on board were able to swim back to shore.

The man, around 40 years old, was in “cardio-respiratory arrest” and could not be revived by emergency services, officials said.

At least 56 people have so far died on the France-Britain route across the Channel in 2024.

Last week, two men and a woman were killed when their boat was wrecked around two kilometres offshore near the port city of Calais. Some 35 people were rescued when screams were heard on the boat.

Earlier this month, a four-month-old baby died when an overloaded migrant boat headed for Britain sank in the English Channel off the coast of France. Sixty-eight people were rescued when the accident occurred in the French town of Wissant on October 17.

Prosecutors said the infant, aged four months and possibly from Iraqi Kurdistan, was on board with his parents and two other children.

According to officials, over 29,000 migrants have made it across the Channel since the start of 2024.

Migrants also try to hide in trucks to get through the heavily guarded tunnel linking France and Britain.

Channel crossings to Britain by undocumented asylum seekers have increased since 2018 despite repeated warnings about the perilous journey.

The English Channel has heavy maritime traffic, icy waters and strong currents.