Migrant man dies trying to cross the English Channel after small boat deflates

PARIS (AP) — An Indian man about 40 years old died on Sunday morning in northern France after the inflated boat he and other migrants had boarded to cross the English Channel deflated, French authorities said in a statement.

This year is proving to be the deadliest for migrants’ crossing attempts aboard small boats since numbers began surging in 2018, according to the maritime prefecture that oversees French waters in the channel. The man’s death Sunday pushed this year’s tally so far to 56.

Around 5:30 a.m. local time, a group of migrants launched their small boat off the town of Tardinghen, some 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of Calais.

The boat, which “appeared to be in very poor condition,” deflated immediately after departure, the statement said. “Migrants ... returned to the beach swimming but not everyone was equipped with a life jacket.”

The Indian man had a cardiac arrest. Police gave him a cardiac massage on the beach, the statement said, but could not resuscitate him. A inquiry has been opened.

This was just one of many attempts by migrants to cross the channel since weather improved on Monday. Local authorities registered 57 attempts since then, 32 of which were stopped by law enforcement.

The French coast around Calais has long been a jumping-off point for people fleeing conflict and poverty around the world seeking to reach Britain, often via dangerous and sometimes deadly sea journeys across one of the world’s busiest shipping channels.

Europe’s increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants are pushing many migrants north. While the U.K. government has been hostile, too, many migrants have family or friends in the U.K. and a perception they will have more opportunities there.