Channel migrant found dead on French beach after failed small boat crossing

A man in his twenties was found dead on Sainte-Cécile beach near Le Touquet after an attempted small boat crossing of the English Channel. French authorities had monitored migrants boarding a makeshift vessel overnight, but stopped it from departing; the coastguard described the boarding as chaotic and said an investigation would examine what happened.

Five men at the scene were treated for possible hypothermia, and a search found no one in the water. The article also reports that Channel arrivals so far in 2026 total 23,529, down 39.8 per cent on the same point in 2025. It attributes the fall partly to worse Channel weather and fewer Eritreans and Afghans arriving in Europe, while a former migration minister cited disruption to boats, engines and beach operations.