12 migrants die after boat capsizes during attempt to cross English Channel

Firefighters handle the bodies of migrants who died trying to cross the Channel to England in Boulogne-sur-Mer, northern France on September 3, 2024. At least 12 migrants died off the northern French coast on September 3, 2024. [Photo by BERNARD BARRON/AFP via Getty Images]

At least 12 migrants were killed while attempting to cross the English Channel en route to the United Kingdom, the French Ministry of the Interior announced yesterday.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stated that a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Channel, resulting in the death of at least 12 people. He added that two others remain missing.

Earlier reports had indicated that approximately ten people had died.

Naval officer Etienne Baggio told the French news agency AFP that search operations are ongoing.

The boats recovering the victims are returning them to Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.

This incident is the deadliest of the year. Before Tuesday’s incident, 30 people had already died crossing the Channel in 2024 – the highest figure for any year since 2021, when 45 deaths were recorded, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration.

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