Migrant man dies while trying to cross the English Channel after a small boat runs dry

PARIS (AP) — An Indian man about 40 years old died Sunday morning in northern France after the inflated boat he and other migrants had boarded to cross the English Channel deflated, French authorities said in a statement .

This year is proving to be the deadliest for migrant crossing attempts aboard small boats since numbers began rising in 2018, according to the maritime prefecture that oversees French waters in the canal. The man’s death on Sunday brought the number to 56 so far this year.

At around 5:30 am local time, a group of migrants launched their small boat off the town of Tardinghen, about 25 kilometers west of Calais.

The boat, which “appeared to be in very poor condition,” deflated immediately after departure, the statement said. “Migrants… returned to the beach swimming, but not everyone was equipped with a life jacket.”

The Indian man went into cardiac arrest. Police gave him chest compressions on the beach, the statement said, but were unable to revive him. An investigation has been opened.

This was just one of several attempts by migrants to cross the Channel since the weather improved on Monday. Local authorities have since recorded 57 attempts, 32 of which were stopped by police.

The French coast around Calais has long been a jumping-off point for people fleeing conflict and poverty around the world who want to reach Britain, often via dangerous and sometimes deadly sea journeys across one of the world’s busiest shipping channels.

The increasingly strict European asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants drive many migrants north. Although the British government has also been hostile, many migrants have family or friends in Britain and feel they will have more opportunities there.