BBC News, South East<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A man has died trying to cross the English Channel, Kent Police says. <\/p>\n The RNLI said it had launched its all-weather lifeboat and a group of people were brought to Dover in a Border Force boat on Friday morning.<\/p>\n In a statement, the RNLI said: “Dover RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was tasked by HM Coastguard at 8.15 BST… to an incident in the Channel.”<\/p>\n Kent Police said they were called 10 minutes afterwards following a Border Force patrol responding to a medical emergency on a small boat in the English Channel. They confirmed a man had been pronounced dead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A blue forensics tent has been set up outside the lifeboat station in Dover.<\/p>\n A police spokesperson said: “Officers have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances leading to the man’s death.<\/p>\n “The priority remains to establish the man’s identity in order to notify his family.<\/p>\n “Officers are currently at Dover Lifeboat Station while initial enquiries are under way.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The government said investigations were ongoing so it would be inappropriate to comment further.<\/p>\n The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it sent UK Border Force vessels, RNLI lifeboats and an HM Coastguard search-and-rescue helicopter “in response to small boats activity” reported in the Channel.<\/p>\n “People were recovered to the UK,” the spokesperson added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n More than 9,000 people have crossed the English Channel on small boats so far this year. <\/p>\n This is 42% higher than at the same point last year, when the total stood at 6,265, and 81% higher than at this stage in 2023, when the total was 4,899.<\/p>\n In the last week, 1,871 migrants crossed the channel on small boats, with more than 705 making the journey in 12 boats on Tuesday – the highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year.<\/p>\n On Thursday, 211 people crossed the English Channel on three small boats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Home Office figures show more people arrived in small boats between January and April 2025 than in the same four-month period in any year since data on Channel crossings began in 2018.<\/p>\n The figures come as the government has vowed to crack down on people-smuggling across the Channel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"PA](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/2876\/live\/de157b00-1c4b-11f0-8454-03622c874820.jpg.webp\")
PA Media<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nCrossings this year<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n