A woman has died while attempting to board a small boat bound for the UK, as official figures confirm more than 50,000 Channel crossings have taken place since Labour’s general election victory last year.
The woman, believed to be in her 30s, died on Malo Beach in Dunkirk on Monday evening, according to French NGO Utopia 56, which supports displaced migrants at the French border.
French authorities said three attempts were made to resuscitate her by police and emergency services, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The tragedy comes as Home Office figures reveal 474 migrants arrived in the UK by small boat on Monday alone, taking the total since Labour took office in July 2024 to 50,271.
So far in 2025, 27,029 people have crossed the Channel — 47% more than this time last year, and 67% higher than in 2023.
The UK government recently introduced a “one in, one out” returns deal with France, under which migrants arriving by small boat may be sent back within days, while approved asylum seekers in France will be relocated to the UK through safe routes.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the woman’s death.
