Three migrants die as dinghy capsizes off Calais en route to UK

Three migrants, including one child and two women, died Monday when an inflatable dinghy carrying about 105 people capsized off Wissant near Calais en route to Britain. Dozens were injured. Six rescue boats were at the scene by 10:30 a.m. Sea conditions were calm and weather good, per a Pas-de-Calais prefecture spokesman. Deaths this year in the Channel now stand at least at 24. Three migrants died last week scrambling for boat places, prompting French prosecutors to open criminal enquiries. November 2021 saw the worst toll, with 27 dead. UK Home Office figures show 781 arrivals last Wednesday, this year's single-day high, and 18,565 since January, down over 40% from 2025. A separate dinghy from near Bayeux made a 38-hour voyage; 51 migrants were picked up by RNLI lifeboats, transferred to a Border Force cutter and brought ashore at Dover early Wednesday. Authorities warned the Wissant death toll could still change.