A harrowing scene unfolded in the Channel on Friday morning when a heavily overcrowded boat, carrying an estimated 60 migrants, including children as young as three, was filmed almost sinking.
Witnesses reported that the vessel was “seconds from sinking” as it navigated the shipping lane in the middle of the Channel, heightening fears of a potential catastrophe. The boat was closely monitored from a distance by the French navy as it drifted into British waters, prompting serious concerns over a possible tragedy of unprecedented scale.
The incident was part of a concerning pattern of crossings on Friday, with hundreds of migrants estimated to have reached the UK. This year has seen almost 21,000 migrants make the perilous journey across the Channel—an increase of about 3% compared to last year but still 18% lower than the record numbers seen in 2022. Between Tuesday and Thursday alone, 1,035 migrants arrived in the UK, with many boats reported to be carrying upwards of 60 individuals each.
By 10am on Friday, three boats had already arrived in Dover, Kent, with at least nine small boats in total making the crossing. Eyewitnesses described the scene on the morning of the incident as particularly dire, with young children, some of whom were described as freezing cold, “hanging on for dear life” amid the cramped conditions.
Drone footage and photographs revealed the extent of the overcrowding. The boat, which was nearly submerged, struggled to stay afloat as it crossed the Channel around 7am. One boatman, who observed the crossing, expressed shock and dismay: “I could not believe my eyes. It was disturbing. They were clinging on for dear life. It was horrific. It was seconds from sinking. It would have been the biggest tragedy in the Channel so far.”
The boatman also criticized the French navy’s response, stating, “The children were on the floor cramped in the middle. It was appalling to see. What were the French navy doing? They only looked about three and they were on the floor. They looked terrified. Who would do that to a child? And the French navy were in the distance the whole time, clearly observing what was happening. When will this madness end?”
The overcrowding on these vessels has been exacerbated by a shortage of boats and equipment, a situation compounded by intensified crackdowns on people smuggling operations. The perilous conditions have led to a troubling increase in fatalities, with at least 25 deaths recorded in the Channel this year alone, due to drowning and being crushed on overloaded boats.
In response to the crisis, the UK Government has abandoned the previous Conservative administration’s Rwanda deportation scheme. Instead, a new border security command is being established, designed to unify existing immigration units with enhanced counter-terrorism powers and seek return agreements with other nations.
A Home Office spokesman emphasized the urgency of the situation: “We all want to see an end to dangerous small boat crossings, which are undermining border security and putting lives at risk. The new Government is taking steps to boost our border security, setting up a new border security command which will bring together our intelligence and enforcement agencies, equipped with new counter-terror-style powers and hundreds of personnel stationed in the UK and overseas, to smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions in profit.”