British family urges France to release body of Afghan migrant who died in Channel crossing

A British family is pleading with French authorities to release the body of a relative that officials have held for five months after he died in the Channel in April.

Jasmeet Wadhwa, 32, died while attempting to reach the UK on a dinghy on 1 April with his mother, Harbans Kaur Wadhwa, after they fled Taliban persecution in Afghanistan in January of this year.

They endured a difficult two-month journey under the control of people smugglers before reaching northern France in mid-March. A man from Sudan, Nagmeldin Adam, 33, died on the same boat. Eight others were rescued, including Harbans Kaur Wadhwa.

Adam’s journey from Sudan involved detention in Libya for an extended period and many attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. He finally reached France in December 2025.

At least 16 people have died trying to cross the Channel from France to the UK so far this year, with the latest reported death on Saturday in a similar part of the French coast to where the two men lost their lives in April.

Relatives of the two men took part in a demonstration on Monday outside the courthouse in Dunkirk in protest against the French authorities’ refusal to release the bodies. Wadhwa’s relatives travelled from the UK to France to participate. Many who lose their lives trying to cross the Channel are never publicly identified and it is rare to see family members stage a protest of this kind.

Neither the French interior ministry nor the part of the French police in charge of the bodies responded to questions from the Guardian about why there has been a delay in releasing the two men’s bodies.

Ivnit Singh Wadwa, Wadhwa’s cousin, travelled from his home in west London for the protest. “We shouldn’t have to fight to say goodbye,” said Wadwa. “We are very upset with the French judicial system. Our family is waiting for Jasmeet’s body so we can lay him to rest.”

After witnessing the loss of her son on the dinghy, Harbans Kaur Wadhwa made an application to the Home Office to come to the UK legally under the “one in, one out” scheme. This scheme forcibly returns one person to France who has arrived in the UK on a small boat in exchange for accepting another who has applied legally to come to the UK from northern France. She was hoping to join her family in the UK who have offered to accommodate and support her.

But the Home Office rejected the application for not meeting the requirements, saying that the identity document submitted was not satisfactory. Afghans generally have an identity document known as a Tazkira.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened to hear about a death in French waters.

“Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit. We will continue working relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys.”