A lifeless body found on a beach in Pas-de-Calais after an attempted crossing to England

The body of a man was found on the beach of Neufchâtel-Hardelot (Pas-de-Calais) on Wednesday morning shortly after an attempted clandestine departure for England, AFP journalists noted. His death was declared shortly after 9 a.m. by firefighters, AFP noted. “A lifeless body of African appearance”, according to the prefecture, was brought back by the waves to the shore before being taken care of by gendarmes, while other candidates for clandestine departure to England were still present in the neighboring dunes. Around 6 a.m., a canoe managed to leave from the same beach, AFP journalists noted.

At least 17 deaths in the Channel since the start of the year

Before this death, at least 16 people have lost their lives since the start of the year in attempts to cross the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, one of the busiest maritime passages in the world. Since January, 17,480 people have reached Britain illegally by sea, and more than 200,000 since the start of Channel crossings aboard precarious boats in 2018, according to official British figures.