A record of 230 migrants cross the English Channel in a single boat to Britain

LONDON.- A record of 230 migrants, including more than 20 children, crossed the English Channel during the night of Sunday aboard a single inflatable boat bound for Great Britain, in a new sign of the increasing size of the boats used for these dangerous crossings from the northern coast of France. The migrants were counted when the vessel departed on Sunday night from the northeastern French coast, amid scenes described as chaotic by the French maritime rescue service SNSM. The figure surpasses the previous record of 165 people, registered in July. The British Home Office did not confirm the exact number of passengers but condemned the "reckless and dangerous tactics" used by criminal gangs organizing the crossings. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's spokesperson described the images of small children being loaded onto boats considered "unsuitable for navigation" as "shocking." The episode occurs just days after another large inflatable boat, with more than 150 people on board, capsized in the English Channel after its engine caught fire. The accident prompted a major search and rescue operation. Authorities later reported that the occupants were rescued, although 11 people suffered minor injuries and three were taken to a hospital in Boulogne. The growing use of so-called "mega boats" presents a new challenge for British and French authorities, who are trying to curb illegal crossings and dismantle human trafficking networks operating in northern France. Although the total number of people crossing the Channel this year has fallen more than 40% compared to the same period in 2025, the size of the boats used has increased significantly. According to French authorities, before last week's accident, nine crossings had been recorded this year using these large-capacity vessels. A ship believed to be carrying migrants is escorted by a French National Gendarmerie vessel in the English Channel near Wimereux, FranceNicolas Garriga - APAcuerdos y nuevos métodosThe phenomenon, according to sources cited by British media, demonstrates the adaptation of trafficking networks in response to increased police surveillance on French beaches. Criminal groups are increasingly resorting to vessels capable of transporting a large number of people in a single trip, in a mode described as a "water taxi" strategy. The size of these boats also increases risks for passengers. Organizations working with asylum seekers noted that small boats typically transport between 50 and 60 people on average, while the first vessels used for these crossings, starting in 2018, usually carried only a few passengers. The increase in the so-called mega boats began to become more evident over the past year. In August 2025, one vessel transported 106 people, and in September another carried 125. On July 12 of this year, an inflatable boat arrived in the UK with 128 people on board, and eleven days later, another vessel transported 165 migrants. On August 4, a boat with 173 people capsized after its engine caught fire. British and French authorities intensified coast controls in the Channel amid the increase in crossings in small vesselsSAMEER AL-DOUMY - AFPThe growth of these vessels coincides with measures adopted by London and Paris to try to reduce crossings. In July 2025, both governments announced an agreement called "one enters, one leaves," which involves returning some people arriving in the UK in small boats to France in exchange for allowing the legal entry of others seeking asylum. The British government also reached agreements with other European countries to strengthen cooperation against trafficking networks and increase the seizure of vessels and engines used for crossings. British authorities face increasing political pressure to reduce crossings. Agencies AFP and ReutersUnited KingdomFranceMigration