France: One migrant dies, 72 rescued from Channel boat bound for UK

One migrant has died, and 72 others have been rescued after a small boat carrying more than 110 people attempted to cross the English Channel to reach Britain, French authorities said.

A French coastguard rescue vessel was monitoring the boat in the Gravelines area overnight from August 27 to 28 when it responded to requests for assistance and rescued 72 migrants, dpa reports.

One person on board required CPR and a rescue helicopter was dispatched, but the migrant was pronounced dead. Three others were found injured, including one who required urgent medical treatment, according to the local French prefecture.

The incident came after 494 migrants arrived in Britain on August 27, marking the first successful Channel crossings in 10 days. Seven boats made the crossing, the first since Aug. 17, when 250 people arrived.

Despite the latest arrivals, the number of migrants crossing the Channel has fallen overall this year, according to Press Association analysis of British government data.

Some 16,391 migrants have crossed the Channel so far in 2026, down 43% from the same period last year and 17% lower than at the same point in 2024.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would not be “complacent” about the decline and that “there is more we must do”.

“That is why I have boosted enforcement on the French beaches and overseas and introduced new legislation to tackle the pull factors that draw people here through unsafe and illegal routes,” she said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev