10-year-old, two others crushed to death on overcrowded boat trying to cross sea to UK

• A 10-year-old child and two women died during the Channel crossing attempt.

• The inflatable boat was carrying 105 people when it ran into trouble.

• French officials said the victims were likely crushed rather than drowned.

• The other passengers were rescued, while nine people received medical treatment.

A 10-year-old child and two women in their 30s have died while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom on an overcrowded small boat.

The inflatable dinghy was carrying 105 people when it got into difficulty off the northern French coast on Monday, September 28, 2026.

French maritime authorities said they received a distress call from the vessel after it encountered trouble in calm seas. A rescue operation was launched, with a French maritime rescue boat and helicopter sent to assist the passengers.

The boat had not sunk, and all those on board were eventually brought to safety. However, the child and the two women could not be saved.

A medical team was flown by helicopter to the rescue vessel to treat those who needed urgent assistance. The three victims were treated but were later declared dead.

French officials said the initial findings suggested that the victims were likely killed by crushing caused by overcrowding, rather than drowning.

François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, said there appeared to have been no drowning and that the deaths were likely caused by crushing inside the crowded boat.

The circumstances surrounding the deaths are now being investigated by French authorities.

According to officials, the boat had left the northern French coast in the early hours of Monday and was part of a method sometimes referred to as a “taxi boat”. These are inflatable boats used by smugglers to pick up migrants close to the shore before attempting the crossing to Britain.

The vessel reportedly left the area around Sangatte and carried more than 100 people as it headed towards the English Channel.

The passengers were eventually taken aboard a French rescue vessel and brought to the port of Calais.

Nine people among those rescued also required medical treatment, although their injuries were not considered critical.

RELATED: Passenger dies after jumping off moving bus trying to escape as drunk driver drives recklessly

The deaths have again highlighted the dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the English Channel in small and overcrowded boats.

The Channel is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, and migrants attempting the journey from northern France to Britain often rely on inflatable dinghies that can become dangerously overcrowded.

French authorities have increased patrols and surveillance along the northern coast in an effort to prevent small-boat crossings and disrupt smuggling networks.

Despite those measures, the dangerous journeys have continued, with the latest tragedy involving a child among the passengers.

The French judicial investigation will determine the precise circumstances that led to the deaths of the 10-year-old child and the two women.