Migrant man found dead in English channel after boat heading for UK got into difficulty off French coast

A migrant has been declared dead after being pulled from the water in the English Channel, French authorities have said.

The man who died trying to cross the English Channel on Friday is a man in his twenties, believed to be of Sudanese origin, the Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor said.

He was found overboard and unconscious in the early hours of Friday after a boat believed to be heading for the UK got into difficulty off the coast of France.

Twenty-five people were found still on board the boat and were picked up by rescue teams, while five others were found on a sandbank.

They were in a state of hypothermia.

A manslaughter investigation has been opened, the prosecutor confirmed.

The latest attempts at the dangerous journey come despite sub-zero temperatures on the French coast.

Multiple Border Force vessels have been active in the Channel and at least one boat is reported to have reached the UK.

It comes after at least 271 people aboard 10 small boats reached the UK on Thursday, including a young child.

So far this year, more than 450 people have made the life-threatening trip across the Channel in small boats following a record-breaking year in 2021.