Four migrants die trying to cross the Channel by small boat just hours after estimated 700 reach Britain

By DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR and PETER ALLEN IN PARIS, FRANCE, Published: 12:10, 30 July 2026 | Updated: 12:13, 30 July 2026 Four migrants have died attempting to cross the Channel - just over a day after Andy Burnham claimed Labour's plan to stop small boats 'is working'. Three women and a man lost their lives in separate incidents on the French side of the Channel overnight. The tragedies unfolded shortly after Wednesday witnessed what was thought to have been the largest number of small boat crossings this year. Unofficial estimates reported by GB News put the total at 730, beating the 710 seen on June 15.  A small boat overturned in the early hours of Thursday causing the death of a passenger and leading to the ‘near drowning’ of a baby. The disaster unfolded in the early hours of Thursday morning in the sea off Neufchâtel-Hardelot, south of Boulogne. Local mayor Paulette Juilien-Peuvion described how more than 100 people, including women and children, were attempting to board a flimsy inflatable designed for around 15 passengers. ‘One man died and six were seriously hurt,’ she said during a visit to the scene later in the day. Migrants board a smugglers' boat in an attempt to cross the Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France, on Wednesday Migrants clamber aboard another packed dinghy at separate beach - Hardelot, south of Boulogne - also on Wednesday The deceased man was from Africa and in his 30s, according to rescuers. Six others were severely hurt, including a one-year-old baby who ‘almost drowned’ said an emergency services source. He added: ‘The small boat arrived on an isolated beach just before midnight, and that’s when dozens of people tried to get on board. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp witnessed migrant departures from Hardelot beach in France during Wednesday ‘The scenes were extremely chaotic because people smugglers were charging as many people as they could to board. 'The fatality happened at around 1.30am, and an investigation is underway to try to find out what caused it.' Gendarmes managed to seize the vessel, as Boulogne prosecutors opened a criminal enquiry. No identities were immediately released for any of those involved, nor their ages and countries of origin. In a separate incident off Dunkirk three women were brought ashore after emergency services mounted a rescue. Attempts to resuscitate the women - said to be aged around 20, 30 and 50 - failed and all three were declared dead. Prime Minister Mr Burnham claimed on Tuesday that the Government's plan to stop small boats 'is working'. Migrants sprint to the water's edge at Gravelines beach in France to board a traffickers' dinghy to Britain on Wednesday But on Wedesday Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was told by one French officer that they had orders not to intervene, as the Tory MP spent the day monitoring departures from a beach in the north of the country. Gendarmes stood by as more than 100 migrants gathered in shallow waters before struggling aboard one overloaded inflatable bound for the UK. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. The Tory frontbencher said the scenes he witnessed proved the failure of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's new £662million deal with the French government. Ms Mahmood claimed the three-year agreement, signed in April, would clamp down on dinghy departures with enhanced beach patrols and tougher tactics. The Home Office said at the time that the deal would 'slash crossing numbers'. Mr Philp said: 'Shabana Mahmood has paid half a billion pounds of our money unconditionally – yet I saw gendarmes doing nothing and they told me they had orders to take no physical action but just talk to the migrants. 'Andy Burnham just said there was no problem. I saw with my own eyes today how out of touch he is.' Ruthless people traffickers also appeared to have adopted a new tactic, mounting simultaneous boat departures from multiple locations up and down the French coast. The scale of Wednesday's crossings could indicate that a significant downturn in migrant numbers may be coming to an end. So far this year there have been 13,376 arrivals, not including yesterday's unconfirmed total, down 45 per cent on the same point last year.  But the fall was thought to have been largely due to weather patterns.  As one of its first acts on taking power, Labour scrapped the previous government's Rwanda asylum deal which was designed to deter crossings and save lives. Labour pursued an alternative plan focussed on increasing operations by police and law enforcement in a bid to 'smash the gangs'. Initially, it failed to have an impact with last year witnessing the second-highest number of crossings on record, at 41,500. Since the crisis began in 2018 the total number of small boat migrants to have reached Britain is 205,986. Mr Burnham has been criticised for his silence on illegal migration since he became PM on July 20, having failed to mention his plans for dealing with the crisis. During a visit to Derby on Tuesday, Mr Burnham was quizzed about his silence on the small-boats crisis and asked whether he had a plan to tackle crossings. He defended the Government's approach, telling reporters: 'The Home Secretary has brought forward a very rigorous plan in relation to this. 'Let's remember, the numbers can fluctuate, but overall, boat crossings are down, down quite significantly year on year. So that does suggest that the plan is working.'