French authorities have launched an investigation into the death of a man in his 20s, whose body was discovered on Terminus Beach in Berck-sur-Mer on Thursday. Witnesses reported that the victim was attacked by other migrants on the sand dunes at dawn. It is feared that those responsible for the stabbing fled across the English Channel to the United Kingdom by small boat shortly after the incident.
On the same day the body was found, a small boat carrying 165 migrants departed from the same beach and was later escorted into Dover, England, for processing. The National Crime Agency (NCA) is currently working with French police regarding the incident. An NCA spokesperson confirmed awareness of the incident in French waters and stated that French partners are leading the investigation into the circumstances.
French investigative sources indicated that a significant argument and fight occurred, resulting in the victim being stabbed by at least one attacker. A knife was reportedly found near the body later that afternoon. It is believed that the individuals responsible for the attack boarded a boat and escaped to England.
The incident occurred along a 7.5-mile stretch of sand in the commune of Berck-sur-Mer, part of the Calais region. Police were reportedly already present in the area attempting to intercept migrant crossings.
More than 500 migrants crossed the Channel between Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, 172 migrants arrived in the UK on three boats, and on Thursday, 366 crossed, with one vessel carrying a record 165 people. Since the Labour party's election victory in July 2024, over 77,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via small boat crossings. Since records began in 2018, more than 200,000 migrants have arrived.
While the total number of arrivals this year, exceeding 13,000, is over 40 percent lower than last year, experts anticipate that crossings could increase. The crossings on Wednesday were the first recorded since July 10, attributed by experts partly to unfavorable weather conditions and choppier seas.
Separately, on Saturday, a 19-year-old Sudanese national named Chan Mathok Atak was charged with endangering another person during a sea journey to the UK on Thursday. Atak, from South Sudan, has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court. The NCA stated he was accused of piloting a small boat crossing from France to the UK.
Opposition figures have criticized the current administration's handling of border policy. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp stated that more illegal immigrants crossed the Channel under Keir Starmer than any previous Prime Minister and criticized the largest migrant dinghy crossing. He asserted that only the Conservative Party has a plan to end Channel crossings. A Home Office spokesperson commented that removals of small-boat migrants are at record levels and asylum claims have decreased by 12 percent.