Overcrowded Boat Carrying 60 Migrants Leaks and Capsizes, Leaving 19-Year-Old Crushed to Death
A 19-year-old man tragically lost his life on Saturday while attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat.
The boat, carrying about 60 people, departed around 4 a.m. from Sangatte, near Calais in northern France. Shortly after setting off, the vessel began leaking and taking on water, forcing 30 passengers overboard. When police intercepted the boat and passengers disembarked, a grim discovery was made.
According to Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor Guirec Le Bras, the young man, identified as Syrian, was found in cardiac arrest at the bottom of the boat. He was “likely crushed by the other migrants” during the journey.
Rescue teams, including a helicopter, coast guard boat, and a fishing vessel, saved 35 others and returned them to Boulogne-sur-Mer. A teenager was taken to the hospital, and two individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident.
This marks the first recorded death during a Channel crossing in 2025. The English Channel, the busiest shipping lane in the world, is notorious for its rough seas and the dangers it poses to migrants attempting the crossing in overcrowded, unsafe boats.
A UK Government spokesperson expressed condolences and highlighted the risks of these crossings. They blamed people smugglers for putting lives at risk by overloading flimsy vessels for profit.
In 2024, a record 77 people lost their lives attempting the crossing. Some drowned, while others died from cramped and unsafe conditions on board. In one heartbreaking incident, a 4-year-old child was trampled to death in an overcrowded boat.
This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the perils migrants face in their desperate attempts to seek a better life.
