French police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a man in his 20s on Terminus Beach in Berck-sur-Mer, a popular seaside resort. Witnesses reported the victim was attacked by other migrants on the sand dunes at dawn on Thursday.
Authorities suspect the perpetrators may have fled across the English Channel to the United Kingdom shortly after the incident. That same day, a small boat carrying 165 migrants departed from the same beach and was later escorted into Dover for processing. The National Crime Agency is collaborating with French police on the investigation.
"French partners are leading the investigation into the circumstances," a spokesperson for the NCA stated. French authorities are working to identify the victim, who was found without documentation. A French investigative source told The Sun that a "fierce argument, and fighting" preceded the stabbing. "A knife was close to his dead body in the afternoon, many hours later," the source added, indicating that those responsible were believed to have escaped to England by boat by that time.
The incident occurred along a stretch of beach in the commune of Berck-sur-Mer, near Calais. Police were reportedly already present in the area, attempting to intercept migrants before they could cross the Channel.
More than 500 migrants arrived in the UK via small boats on Wednesday and Thursday of that week. On Wednesday, 172 migrants arrived in three boats, and on Thursday, 366 crossed, with one boat carrying a record 165 individuals. Since the Labour Party's election victory in July 2024, over 77,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via the Channel. Since records began in 2018, more than 200,000 have arrived.
While the number of arrivals this year, exceeding 13,000, is more than 40% down compared to last year, experts anticipate that crossings could increase again. The crossings on Wednesday were the first recorded since July 10, which some experts attributed to windy weather and rougher seas.
Separately, on Saturday, a 19-year-old Sudanese national was charged with endangering another person during a sea journey to the UK on Thursday. The individual has been remanded in custody. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the government's handling of border policy, stating that more illegal immigrants crossed the Channel under the current administration than under any previous prime minister. He added that only the Conservative Party has a plan to end Channel crossings by leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and deporting illegal immigrants.
A Home Office spokesperson commented that removals of small-boat migrants are at record levels and asylum claims are down by 12%.