Four people have died after a small boat carrying migrants bound for the UK capsized in the Channel, authorities said, with search and rescue efforts still under way amid growing concerns over the use of fast “taxi boats” by smuggling networks.
“Today a “taxi boat” has capsised. The situation is still being assessed and may change,” local authorities said in a statement. Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing at the scene.
Over the past year, people-smuggling networks have increasingly deployed motorised boats along stretches of the northern coasts of France and Belgium, collecting migrants directly from beaches. French officials refer to these vessels as “taxi boats.”
According to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, approximately 2,200 migrants crossed the Channel in the first two months of 2026 alone. The English Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, saw around 41,500 crossings over the course of last year.
On December 13, 2025, the UK recorded its longest period without small-boat arrivals since 2018. At the time, the Home Office said the most recent recorded arrival had taken place on November 14.
