Four people died on Thursday on France’s northern coast while trying to board a small boat to cross the English Channel to England, bringing the number of such deaths this year to six.
Regional official Francois-Xavier Lauch said two men and two women were swept away by the current near the village of Equihen-Plage.
He said one person was being treated for hypothermia and 37 people were taken to emergency services.
The nationalities of the four deceased were not yet known, he added.
AFP saw a large number of emergency service vehicles and rescue workers gathering on the beach.
People stood at a nearby first aid station, many wrapped in thermal blankets and some wearing life jackets, including a woman holding a baby.
Some were packing their bags and boarding buses to the reception center.
Rauch told reporters at the scene that the death toll remained “provisional.”
Officials said the migrants were trying to board a so-called “taxi boat,” referring to small boats that cautiously leave the shore and are nearly empty before picking up dozens of migrants who have waded into shallow waters.
The method has been used to try to avoid coastal security forces from blocking ship launches.
District prosecutor Cecil Gracier confirmed that the victims were all adults.
She added that the boat, carrying about 30 people, “kept on going” after other migrants failed to board.
She said the latest deaths showed smugglers continued to “get rich” by “exploiting” the pain and suffering of migrants trying to reach the UK.
– political debate –
Two men, one Sudanese and the other Afghan, died while trying to cross the English Channel last week, the first reported deaths this year.
France has long been a departure point for migrants hoping to reach Britain, making the perilous journey on often flimsy and overcrowded boats.
At least 29 people died last year, according to an AFP tally based on French and British official sources.
The topic of illegal immigration from northern France to Britain has been a point of political contention between Paris and London.
Under continued pressure, France reversed course late last year and allowed interceptions of taxi boats at sea, albeit only under certain conditions.
Rauch said police did not intervene to stop the rental boat Thursday.
According to French official figures, nearly 50,000 people attempted the crossing on 795 ships last year.
British authorities recorded 41,472 small boat arrivals in 2025, the second-highest total after 2022’s record 45,774 arrivals.
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