Migrant still missing after huge English Channel rescue operation saves 87 from dinghy

One migrant remains missing after 87 people were rescued when they got into difficulty as they attempted to cross the English Channel in a small boat.The dinghy started to get into trouble on Saturday evening as it was still in the French Search and Rescue Region, French authorities said.

A rescue operation was subsequently launched and “all available resources” were deployed to assist those travelling on the vessel, the Prefecture maritime de la Manche et de la mer du Nord added.

The RIAS Abeille Normandie assistance vessel rescued 87 people, including one person suffering from hypothermia – and one individual was reported missing.

The English Channel is one of the busiest stretches of water in the world, where harsh weather conditions, sandbanks and freezing water temperatures in the winter can make navigation particularly difficult.

An “important” search operation was launched to locate the missing person, involving ships, an aircraft and a helicopter, before it was called off several hours later at 10pm local time (9pm GMT).

Those rescued were then disembarked at Calais harbour, where they were met by emergency services, authorities said.

According to French media, the body of a man aged in his 20s was recovered on the Sainte-Cécile beach in Camiers, Pas-de-Calais, northern France, around 8am on Saturday.

It came after a rescue operation was launched to help people who had got into difficulty while attempting to cross the Channel overnight, after setting off from the same beach, the reports said.

Five men with hypothermia symptoms were rescued by French fire services, the media said.

A total of 23,529 people have crossed the English Channel since the start of 2026, according to the latest available figures from the Home Office.

That remains far below last year’s total of more than 41,000 people.