Syrian man died trying to cross Channel to UK on leaky dinghy, say French authorities
Share:
Man in his 20s, first such migrant fatality of 2025, suffered cardiac arrest reportedly as result of being crushed. A young Syrian man died while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, the French authorities said. It is the first reported death at sea of a migrant seeking to travel to Britain from France so far this year.
More than 30 people were rescued after a boat got into difficulty in the Channel overnight on Friday, the French coastguard said. French media reported that the man who died was Syrian and was crushed by other people while on a leaky dinghy. A helicopter and boats were deployed to rescue the 35 people, including about 15 who were in the water.
“Last night, 30 migrants tried to get into the water on the beach at Sangatte,” on the northern coast of France, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture told Agence-France Presse. The prefecture said “a few minutes later” the group disembarked from the leaking dinghy. On the floor of the boat, a Syrian man in his 20s was found, the prefecture said, adding that he had suffered cardiac arrest.
He had “probably” been crushed to death, officials said. “This was the first death at sea in 2025,” the prefecture said. According to the prefecture, 77 people died trying to reach Britain in flimsy inflatable boats last year, making it the deadliest year for migrants who are taking ever greater risks to evade Britain’s border control.
