Four die, dozens rescued in attempted Channel crossing from France to UK

Tragedy underscores failure to create safe routes for asylum seekers, say campaigners.Four people have died while attempting to board an inflatable dinghy off the northern coast of France, as another dangerous English Channel crossing has turned deadly.Authorities said the incident took place early on Thursday near Calais, when a group of migrants waded into the sea to reach a small boat positioned offshore.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Dozens missing after boat carrying migrants capsizes near Libyalist 2 of 3Mediterranean migrant deaths mounting towards 1,000 in 2026: UNlist 3 of 3JD Vance slams Zelenskyy comments on Orban ahead of Hungary electionend of listChristian Fourcroy, mayor of Equihen-Plage town in France, said the group ran into difficulty while trying to board the boat.“[They] tried to board the boat. Things went wrong and, let’s just say, they floundered in the water. Among them were two women and two men who died,” Fourcroy told the Reuters news agency.He added that a fifth person remains in a critical condition.The prefect of the Calais" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="17634" data-entity-type="location">Pas-de-Calais region in northern France, Francois-Xavier Lauch, told The Associated Press news agency that 38 other people were rescued, including one with a medical emergency.Emergency services launched a rescue operation along the coastline between Equihen and Ecault, also in France. Despite the chaos in the water, the dinghy continued its journey towards the United Kingdom after moving into deeper waters, local officials said.The Boulogne prosecutor has opened an investigation into the deaths.Thousands of crossingsAttempted crossings and deaths have surged in recent days. French maritime authorities said on Wednesday that 102 people had been rescued in two separate operations while trying to cross the channel. Last week, two people died in a similar incident off the coast north of Calais.