At least 36 people lost their lives attempting the perilous journey across the English Channel to the UK in 2025, according to harrowing estimates from charities. Among the dead was an eight-year-old girl, highlighting the human cost of the ongoing small boat crisis.
The Human Toll Behind the Headlines
Charities and campaign groups, working to piece together information from both sides of the Channel, have identified some of the individuals who perished. Neither the UK nor French governments maintain a comprehensive, official record of those who die, meaning many victims remain unnamed and unknown to the public.
Among those named are Kazaq Ezra, 40, and her eight-year-old daughter, Agdad Hilmi, who were crushed on a small boat in May. In August, a 27-year-old Somali woman, believed to be named Ayesha, drowned while boarding a vessel in Dunkirk. Other victims include Natnael Tesfalem, 31, from Eritrea, who drowned on 19 May, and Bilal Yildirim from Turkey, whose body was recovered after he was missing for over 50 days.
The list continues with Jabr Al Ftah, 64, from Kuwait, who suffered a fatal heart attack onboard a boat on 8 March, and Abdul Raheem Qasem, 24, from Yemen, found dead on a Sangatte beach in January. Suleiman Alhussein Abu Aeday, a Syrian exile in his twenties, was the first recorded casualty of the year on 11 January.
A Call for Recognition and Policy Change
The failure to officially document these deaths has sparked outrage among campaigners and MPs. Labour MP Nadia Whittome, who has long called for Channel deaths to be recorded, told The Mirror it was an "outrage" that people are dying as a result of the UK's "brutal migration and asylum system."
"Counting and naming those who have lost their lives trying to reach our shores is not even the bare minimum in recognising their humanity," she said. "But it would also force us to confront the human cost of our border policies, and ultimately to do what is necessary to prevent these deaths: open safe and legal routes."
Louise Calvey, director of Asylum Matters, accused the government of sending a "disgusting message" by refusing to record the tragedies. "Every single one of these deaths is an appalling tragedy: a person with hopes and dreams and loved ones who might never even know what's happened to them," she said.
The Push for Safe and Legal Pathways
Charities are unanimous in stating that the only way to prevent further loss of life is to provide alternatives to dangerous crossings. Gunes Kalkan, head of campaigns at Safe Passage International, warned that recent government decisions are making matters worse.
"We fear this situation will only get worse, as the Government has recently shut down a vital pathway for children to reunite with parents," Kalkan said. "This risks pushing more people, including vulnerable children, into the hands of smugglers."
Seema Syeda from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), which believes the 2025 death toll exceeds 40, stated: "All of these people could still be with us today if governments simply allow everyone... access to the same routes to travel to the UK. These deaths are not accidents. They are the result of violent borders."
A Home Office spokesman responded: "Every life lost at sea is a tragedy, which is why our efforts are focused on saving lives, as well as doing whatever it takes to protect our borders. The Home Secretary has set out the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times."
