Two men have died after trying to cross the English Channel off the coast of Berck in northern France.
According to local media, police saw migrants leaving the beach on a boat at about 22:00 local time on Sunday, and when rescuers arrived, they were bailing water out of the overloaded vessel with their shoes.
"When we arrived, there were at least 80 people on board and a terrible smell of gasoline,"Jean-Marc Lamblin, director of the French national sea rescue service (SNSM) told La Voix du Nord newspaper.
Two women were taken to hospital after suffering burns that were caused by the mixture of gasoline in the seawater. Their condition has been described as not life-threatening.
Lamblin told the newspaper that there were so many people on the boat, including children, that about 20 people were left stranded in the water because they could not get on board.
He explained that when SNSM arrived, the two men, aged in their 30s and 40s, were in cardiac arrest.
Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of their death.
The two women were from Somalia and aged 20 and 26, La Voix du Nord reported, adding that they are now recovering in Rang-du-Fliers hospital.
How many people cross the English Channel in small boats?
Between 1 January and 27 September 2026, a total of 19,135 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 42% on the same period the previous year.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 40% of asylum applications between July 2025 to June 2026.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 28 September 2025 to 27 September 2026 carried an average of 67 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from January 2025 to December 2025.
The government has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.
Who is arriving in the UK on small boats?
People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from July 2025 to June 2026.
In the latest figures covering January 2025 to December 2025, at least 2,335 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
How else do people stay in the UK without permission?
Another 4,712 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from July 2025 to June 2026. This was down by 17% on the same period the previous year.
There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.
The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
Separately, the UK Home Office said 149 migrants were picked up on Sunday in a mid-Channel rescue operation and were brought to Gosport, in Hampshire.
About 150 anti-migrant demonstrators had gathered at the south coast town to stop the group being brought ashore, with flares being set off and some scuffles with police.
Figures from the UK Home Office have recorded 19,451 people crossing the Channel in small boats this year.
The number is 43% lower than at the same time last year and 23% below the figure at this stage in 2024.