Overview
- French authorities said a 'taxi-boat' sank off Equihen-Plage on Thursday morning, killing two men and two women as strong currents swept them away, with at least 38 others rescued and the toll still provisional.
- A 'taxi-boat' is a motorised dinghy that launches elsewhere and then collects people waiting in the surf, a tactic that pushes migrants farther from shore and increases the chance of drowning.
- Calmer weather has opened a window for departures, with nearly 300 crossings reported in a 24-hour period this week and the 2026 total now above 5,000 in some counts.
- The UK has deployed new Border Security Command catamarans to collect people in its waters and has extended funding for French beach patrols by two months at about £2 million per week while a longer agreement is discussed.
- France has rejected a UK request to let British vessels operate in French waters, and authorities report smugglers are also testing Belgian pickup points to evade tighter patrols on French beaches.