Charities estimate that at least 36 individuals perished in 2025 while attempting the dangerous journey from France to the UK via small boat, with an eight-year-old girl being among the victims. Among those identified was Kazaq Ezra, 40, and her daughter Agdad Hilmi, eight, who died in May after being crushed on a small boat. Other victims named include Natnael Tesfalem, 31, from Eritrea, who drowned in May; Awet Hagos Haile, approximately 30, also from Eritrea, who died in March; and Bilal Yildirim from Turkey, whose body was recovered after being missing for over 50 days. A 27-year-old Somali woman, believed to be named Ayesha, drowned in August while boarding a boat in Dunkirk, and two other Somali women died in similar circumstances the following month. Kuwaiti Jabr Al Ftah, 64, died of a heart attack on a boat in March, while Abdul Raheem Qasem, 24, from Yemen, was found dead on a beach in January. Suleiman Alhussein Abu Aeday, a Syrian exile in his early twenties, was the first recorded casualty of the year. An unnamed Eritrean woman in her 30s also died while attempting the crossing in April.
The lack of comprehensive record-keeping by both UK and French authorities means many deaths go unrecorded and the individuals unidentified. This has led to calls from charities and politicians to acknowledge the humanity of those who die, with Louise Calvey of Asylum Matters stating that the government's refusal to record these tragedies sends a "disgusting message." Labour MP Nadia Whittome has emphasized that these deaths are a "direct result of our brutal migration and asylum system" and that counting the victims would force a confrontation with the "human cost of our border policies."
Charities like Safe Passage International and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) are urging the government to expand legal routes for asylum seekers to prevent them from relying on smugglers. They argue that closing family reunion routes and other pathways pushes vulnerable individuals, including children, into dangerous situations. JCWI believes over 40 people died in 2025 and that these deaths are not accidents but a consequence of "violent borders." They advocate for reallocating funds from border controls to public services.
A Home Office spokesman stated that their efforts are focused on saving lives and protecting borders, highlighting the government's reforms to tackle illegal migration by removing incentives for illegal entry and increasing removals.