Three die after migrant dinghy carrying 105 gets into trouble off France
French authorities said all passengers requested rescue and were taken into care. The dinghy did not sink.
Three people, including a child, died after an inflatable dinghy carrying 105 people ran into trouble off Wissant during an attempted crossing of the English Channel to the United Kingdom, French authorities said.
France’s maritime police said they received a distress call from the vessel. The maritime prefecture described it as a “taxi boat” — a dinghy approaching the beach to pick up migrants in shallow water.
All passengers requested rescue and were taken into care, the prefecture said. The dinghy did not sink. The authorities have not identified those who died or explained how they died.
AFP reported that a rescue boat began disembarking people at the port of Calais in mid-morning.
At least 29 migrants died attempting the crossing in 2025, according to an AFP tally based on French and British official sources. More than 41,000 people embarked on the journey that year.
France and the UK signed an agreement in April to increase human, technological and intelligence resources for operations to prevent crossings.
