Syrian man crushed to death attempting to cross Channel on small boat

A Syrian antheral has been crushed to decease trying to transverse the Channel from France successful a tiny boat, the AFP quality bureau has reported.

Two radical person been arrested, a determination authoritative told the agency.

"Last night, 30 migrants tried to get into the h2o connected the formation astatine Sangatte," the authoritative said, adding that the vessel leaked truthful they each disembarked.

The man, who was successful his 20s, had suffered a cardiac arrest.

He had "probably" been crushed to death, officials said.

It's the archetypal migrant decease reported by authorities successful 2025.

Read more:
UK to authorisation radical smugglers
Government to 'stop astatine nothing' against gangs

A UK authorities spokesperson confirmed the death, which it said occurred "on the French coast".

They added: "This latest calamity underlines the unspeakable dangers of tiny vessel crossings, and we proceed to bash everything we tin to forestall them.

"These criminals lone attraction astir profit, not the lives they enactment astatine risk, which is wherefore they are cramming ever-greater numbers of radical onto progressively flimsy and unsafe boats."

The authorities has said it volition present a "world first" sanctions authorities to people radical smugglers, arsenic portion of Labour's program to trim the numbers of radical risking their lives to transverse the English Channel.

The fig of radical making the perilous travel has surged successful caller years, with much and much radical packed aboard inflatable boats.