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Two UK-bound migrants have died as they scrambled for places on overcrowded mega-dinghies.
French prosecutors on Friday said they had opened criminal enquiries into the tragedies on English Channel beaches.
Fighting broke out on the coast at Camiers, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, on Thursday morning following 'reports of a migrant-carrying vessel in distress', said a spokesman for the Pas-de-Calais prefecture.
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spokesman → see → prefecture
'Around thirty individuals managed to board the boat, but an adult male was then found in the water, and in cardiorespiratory arrest,' he added.
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he → manage → arrest
Medics tried to revive the man – who has not been identified – but he was then declared dead at the scene.
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he → try → scene
A few miles north, 'the dead body of a person in their thirties, of African appearance, was discovered on the beach at Neufchâtel-Hardelot', said the same spokesman.
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spokesman → discover → Hardelot
Cécile Gressier, the Boulogne prosecutor, confirmed that investigations were underway, as both people smugglers or other migrants faced possible manslaughter charges.
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smugglers → confirm → charges
The latest deaths mean that at least 21 people, including women and children, have died in the Channel this year as they tried to get to Britain.
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they → mean → Britain
Just yesterday, damning footage showed a man abandoning a child before scrambling onto a dinghy in France.
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man → show → France
Migrants try to board a smuggler's boat off the beach of Equihen-Plage, northern France, on September 23, 2026
Harrowing and chaotic footage recorded off a beach in France shows the man clutching a toddler as he attempts to board the small boat.
In chest-deep water, and amid heavy swell, he then lets go of the child who is left floating in the sea for a few seconds, face up.
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face → try → seconds
Members of the French lifeboat organisation, the SNSM, then swim up and pluck the child from the water.
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Members → swim → water
The youngster, who appears to be aged three or four, is then taken back to shore on a rescue board and the man resumes his attempt to clamber aboard the dinghy.
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man → appear → dinghy
It is not known whether there is any relationship between the man and the child, who was dressed in a black, hooded anorak and an orange lifejacket.
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who → know → anorak
The video clip was filmed off Berck beach, about 30 miles south of Boulogne, on Monday afternoon.
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clip → film → afternoon
Many migrants have drowned, while others have been crushed to death in overcrowded boats.
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others → drown → boats
The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK – the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.
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dinghy → come → incident
Multiple attempts at crossings have taken place from the coast of northern France over the last few days, as the smugglers take advantage of calm seas and good weather.
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smugglers → take → seas
According to figures from the UK Home Office, 781 migrants arrived in Britain on Wednesday – the highest single-day total recorded so far this year.
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migrants → accord → Wednesday
In total, 18,565 migrants have reached England via this route since January, a figure down by more than 40 per cent compared to the same period in 2025.
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migrants → reach → 2025
The surge in crossings also indicates that people-trafficking gangs are still getting hold of dinghies and outboard motors with ease, despite a crackdown on supply routes.
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gangs → indicate → routes
This week has also witnessed two 'uncontrolled landings' in which migrant boats reached the UK without being intercepted by the authorities.
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boats → witness → authorities
In further chaotic scenes a dinghy launched from near Bayeux, in Normandy, made a record 38-hour voyage.
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dinghy → launch → voyage
They launched just before 10am on Monday and, on Tuesday afternoon, were picked up by RNLI lifeboats and later transferred to a Border Force cutter.
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They → launch → cutter
The 51 migrants aboard were eventually brought ashore to Dover in the early hours of Wednesday.
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migrants → bring → Wednesday
The Aporia
