A 10-year-old child and two women in their 30s have died after a small boat carrying 105 people ran into difficulty in the English Channel during an attempted crossing from northern France to Britain on Monday, September 28.
BREAKING: Two women and one child have died in attempt to cross the Channel, according to French authorities pic.twitter.com/b5J5SPAgXR
â Sky News (@SkyNews) September 28, 2026
French authorities said 102 people survived after a rescue operation was launched off the northern French coast. The three victims received emergency treatment but were later pronounced dead after a medical team was flown to the rescue vessel by helicopter.
The deaths occurred despite relatively calm sea conditions, according to French maritime police, and investigators are now examining exactly what happened aboard the heavily crowded inflatable boat.
Boat carrying 105 people called for help off northern France
The French Maritime Prefecture for the Channel and North Sea said authorities responded after receiving a distress call from the vessel on Monday morning.
The boat had departed from the Blériot-Plage area of Calais and was attempting to cross towards Britain when passengers requested assistance.
A French rescue vessel reached the boat and took those on board to safety. In total, 105 people were taken aboard the rescue vessel.
Emergency crews treated three passengers at the scene. A specialist medical team was later flown out by helicopter, but the three could not be saved.
French authorities identified the victims as a 10-year-old child and two women believed to be in their 30s. Their names had not been publicly released at the time of reporting.
Survivors were later brought to the port of Calais, where emergency services were waiting as passengers disembarked from the rescue vessel.
Reuters reported that French maritime police said the inflatable dinghy had run into difficulty while carrying 105 people, despite calm conditions at sea.
Early findings point to crowding aboard the boat
French authorities said the precise circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
According to the regional authorities, initial findings suggested the three victims may have died during a stampede or crushing incident aboard the crowded boat. Officials stressed that the exact sequence of events still needs to be established through the judicial investigation.
Nine other people required medical treatment following the incident, according to the Associated Press.
The vessel was described by French officials as a so-called âtaxi boatâ. The term is used for inflatable boats that approach stretches of the northern French coastline from the water before collecting groups of passengers waiting in shallow water or on beaches.
The practice can result in large numbers of people boarding the same vessel at different points along the coast, adding to the risks associated with already fragile inflatable boats.
The incident was also reported off the coast near Wissant, southwest of Calais. French authorities said all passengers eventually requested rescue and were assisted by maritime emergency crews.
The tragedy comes amid continued attempts to cross the Channel in small boats. Nearly 1,300 people were reported making English Channel crossings over a five-day period shortly before Monday’s incident, as favourable weather brought another period of increased activity along the northern French coast.
According to an AFP tally based on official French and British figures, Monday’s three deaths brought the number of people reported to have died attempting Channel crossings in 2026 to 22.
The French Maritime Prefecture has repeatedly warned that the English Channel is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and that small-boat crossings remain dangerous even when weather conditions appear favourable.
The investigation into Monday’s deaths is continuing. Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the victims’ identities or issued final findings on the medical cause of their deaths.
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