Child and two women die on migrant dinghy off French coast

A dinghy left behind by migrants lies on the beach after police disperesed migrants attempting to leave the northern coast of France to cross the English Channel and reach Britain, at Petit-Fort-Philippe beach in Gravelines near Calais, France, September 28, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

GRAVELINES, France, Sept 28 - Three migrants including a 10-year-old child died while trying to cross the Channel from France to Britain on an overcrowded inflatable dinghy on Monday, French authorities said.

France's maritime police force said it received a distress call from a boat carrying 105 people. Initial information suggested the two women and child were crushed on the dinghy, the local prefecture said. All other passengers were rescued.

Hours later, Pope Leo gave a speech in the northeastern French city of Metz, urging Europeans to welcome migrants fleeing war, persecution and hardship "as if they were part of one's own family".

The dinghy carrying the migrants had set off from Bleriot Plage beach in Calais, the prefecture said.

Smugglers have been using so-called "taxi boats" which leave quiet beaches with a small group and then travel along the coast, picking up more people before crossing to the UK.

The number of migrants successfully crossing the Channel in 2026 had fallen more than 40% as of late September versus the same period in 2025, according to data from Britain's interior ministry.

Nonetheless, migration remains one of Europe's most divisive political issues, including in France where the far-right Marine Le Pen is the frontrunner to win next year's presidential election. In Britain, the ruling Labour party is facing a challenge from the populist Reform UK party.

France has deployed police along its northern coast to deter both smugglers and migrants.

In a separate incident on Monday, Reuters journalists in Gravelines, north of Calais, saw police fire tear gas to disperse a large group of migrants after slashing their inflatable dinghy before it could be put out to sea. REUTERS