Japa: Indian migrant dies after boat deflates en route to UK

A migrant died on Sunday while attempting to cross the English Channel to the UK, adding to two fatal boat accidents in the past 10 days, French authorities reported.

The deceased, identified as an Indian national, had launched from Tardinghen beach in France’s northern Pas-de-Calais region.

According to the local prefecture, the vessel, described as “in very poor condition,” quickly deflated after departure around 5:30 am (0430 GMT). Although most passengers managed to swim back to shore, many lacked life jackets.

Emergency responders found the 40-year-old man, who was in cardiac and respiratory arrest, but were unable to revive him, officials stated.

This latest death brings the toll for Channel crossings from France to the UK to at least 56 in 2024, marking a tragic record with two months still left in the year.

Last Wednesday, two men and a woman lost their lives when their boat capsized around two kilometers offshore near Calais. A week earlier, a four-month-old baby died after another boat broke apart. Three more migrants were hospitalized Friday due to injuries or hypothermia during attempted crossings.

Axel Gaudiant, coordinator of migrant aid group Utopia 46 in Calais, blamed migration policy for the continued loss of life, stating, “We can’t bear any more of this migration policy. As far as we’re concerned, that’s what’s responsible for the deaths.”

The UK and France have collaborated for years to prevent small-boat departures from northern France.