Two migrants died while trying to board a Britain-bound small boat near Calais. Three others suffered injuries, and one remains missing. The tragedy struck just hours after the UK agreed to pay France £16.2 million to patrol beaches.
Smugglers took advantage of improved weather in Northern France to launch at least five boats after a week with no crossings. Witnesses saw hundreds of migrants sprint across Gravelines Beach and wade into chest-high water to reach overcrowded dinghies.
A disabled woman abandoned her walker, and a mother carried her two-year-old daughter on her shoulders. Migrants scrambled for space as smugglers shouted orders. French police officers stood nearby but did little to intervene.
Emergency crews, including an air ambulance and coastguard teams, rescued several people. Despite their efforts, two men in their 40s died. Some migrants who had paid smugglers could not board, forcing them to return to camps.
The UK extended a three-year deal with France, originally signed in 2023, to fund extra patrols. Britain will pay £16.2 million over the next two months. A Home Office spokesperson said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is “driving a hard bargain to deliver a better deal for the British people.”
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised the deal. He said: “Labour is paying France for continued failure. We shouldn’t pay a penny until they increase interception rates and stop boats at sea, as promised last summer.”
Channel crossings have surged over the past three years. In 2025, 41,472 people reached the UK by small boat. So far this year, 4,441 migrants have successfully crossed. French ministers warned that pushing for higher interception targets could endanger lives. Xavier Ducept, France’s junior minister for the sea, told a parliamentary commission: “Funding must not depend on efficiency targets that risk migrant safety. Rescue comes first, and the law must be respected.”
Negotiations between the UK and France continue, but migrants still risk their lives in the Channel. The incident highlights the ongoing human cost of the crisis.
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