Record 173-Person Migrant Boat Capsizes in English Channel; All Rescued

A dinghy carrying 173 people — the most in a single Channel crossing attempt this year — capsized on 4 August after its engine caught fire off the French coast. A joint UK-French air-and-sea operation rescued everyone aboard. Eleven suffered minor injuries; three were hospitalised in Boulogne. All passengers were returned to France. Seven migrant deaths have been recorded in the Channel in 2026.