Recent updates stated that four people have died off the coast of northern France after attempting to cross the English Channel.
Local French authorities in Calais said in a press statement, "A taxi boat sinking occurred today, and the situation is still being assessed and remains subject to change."
French media reported that rescue efforts are under way after the incident off the coast of Boulogne, between the beaches of Équihen and Écault, south of Calais.
It happened as the UK and France are currently negotiating a fresh deal to stop small boats crossing the Channel, with an interim arrangement in place after they failed to renew an agreement that expired on 31 March.
Over the past three years, crossings in the Channel have increased, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025.
Between 1 January and 26 March 2026, a total of 4,441 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France.
A total of 33% lower than the number who had reached the UK by this point in 2025, which was 6,642 in the previous year.
The incident came shortly after the rescue of 102 people in the Channel on Wednesday, when they got into difficulty trying to cross the waterway.
Referring to that the use of taxi boats by people smugglers is controversial as they move along the coast, picking people up at different points rather than having one fixed launching point into the sea.
There have been other reports circulating that some of these taxi boats are starting their journey from Belgium and then moving along the French coast.
As reported by BBC, a press conference is expected to be held shortly.
Notably, about 2,200 refugees and migrants crossed the Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, to the UK in the first two months of 2026.
According to data from the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory, about 41,500 people made the crossing last year.
