Overview

• Two migrants, a woman and a child, were found dead off the coast of Calais during a clandestine English Channel crossing on the night of May 20–21, 2025.
• A French Navy vessel intervened at the request of passengers aboard an overcrowded boat carrying approximately 85 migrants, rescuing ten while the boat continued toward Britain.
• These deaths mark five fatalities in the Channel over the past ten days and bring the total for 2025 to at least 15, according to official counts.
• The record-high death toll of 78 migrant fatalities in 2024 underscores the worsening dangers of these crossings, driven by overcrowding and smuggling networks.
• Authorities and charities continue to call for safer migration pathways and intensified efforts to dismantle human trafficking operations.