Cliff Notes
- A migrant tragically died while attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat, prompting an ongoing investigation by Kent Police to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
- Following the medical emergency, several migrants were rescued and brought to Dover by Border Force and RNLI vessels on Friday morning.
- The incident comes amidst a significant increase in small boat crossings, with 705 arrivals reported on Tuesday, marking 2025 as the busiest year for such crossings since records began.
Migrant dies trying to cross Channel in small boat | UK News
A migrant has died attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat.
The RNLI confirmed it had launched its all-weather lifeboat and a group of migrants were brought to Dover in a Border Force boat on Friday morning.
A blue forensics tent could be seen outside the Dover Lifeboat Station.
It is unclear how many migrants were on board the small boat.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: “HM Coastguard sent UK Border Force vessels, RNLI lifeboats and an HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter in response to small boats activity reported in the Channel on 18 April. People were recovered to the UK.”
Kent Police said officers were alerted at 8.26am “after a Border Force patrol responded to a medical emergency on a small boat in the English Channel”.
“A man has since been pronounced deceased,” the force said.
“Officers have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the man’s death.
“The priority remains to establish the man’s identity in order to notify his family.
“Officers are currently at Dover Lifeboat Station while initial inquiries are under way.”
A government spokesperson said: “This morning, Border Force responded to a medical emergency on board a small boat entering UK waters. It is with regret that we can confirm one individual has died, and our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.
“Investigations are ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time, but we want to thank those who responded to this incident and who continue to work tirelessly to secure our borders and protect lives at sea.”
The death comes after 705 people arrived in the UK by small boat on Tuesday – a record number for this year.
It is still some way below the highest ever number for a single day, which was 1,305 on 3 September 2022.
The start of 2025 has been the busiest year so far for crossings since records began in 2018.
Figures confirmed earlier this week brought the cumulative number of arrivals in 2025 to a provisional total of 8,888.