973 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats in one day. Four of them died trying to get from France to England, the UK Home Office said.
The figure for Saturday 6 October is a record number of migrants making the journey across the Channel in one day this year, surpassing the previous high of 882 recorded on 18 June.
A two-year-old boy and three adults died after overloaded boats ran into trouble during the dangerous crossing.
According to Jacques Bilan, prefect of the French region of Pas-de-Calais, these tragedies bring the number of migrants who have died trying to cross the Channel this year to 51.
According to the UK Home Office, in 2024 over 26,600 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats.
British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was "appalling that more lives have been lost in the English Channel".
"Criminal gangs of smugglers continue to organize these dangerous boat crossings," she wrote in X.
"Gangs don't care if people live or die - it's a terrible trade in lives," Cooper added.
Keir Starmer's new Labor government is pushing to reduce cross-Channel arrivals - a key issue in this July's general election.
The government has repeatedly promised to "break up the gangs" of human traffickers who organize the dangerous journeys. | BGNES, AFP
