New data reveals a tragic reality as numerous individuals, including an eight-year-old girl, lost their lives attempting the perilous Channel crossing in 2025.
Charities approximate that a minimum of 36 people perished in their pursuit to reach the UK, although some groups suggest the actual number could be higher. Tragically, among the victims were a mother and her eight-year-old daughter identified as Kazaq Ezra, 40, and Agdad Hilmi, respectively, who met their end in a tragic incident on a small boat in May.
Collaborating with various authorities in the UK and France, the Mirror has endeavored to identify the deceased individuals. Unfortunately, neither country maintains a complete record of the fatalities or the identities of the deceased, leading to many remaining unnamed.
Advocates emphasize the importance of acknowledging the humanity of those who have perished, citing the publication of the victims’ names as the “minimum” gesture of respect. Louise Calvey, the director of Asylum Matters, criticized the government for neglecting to document these tragedies, underscoring the lack of recognition for the lives lost.
Among the identified victims were Natnael Tesfalem, 31, from Eritrea, who drowned in May, and Awet Hagos Haile, a woman of around 30 also from Eritrea, who passed away in March. Additionally, Bilal Yildirim from Turkey was reported missing for over 50 days before his body was recovered. A friend, Ozgur Gul, highlighted the hazardous conditions of the vessel Bilal boarded on a GoFundMe page to raise funds for his funeral.
In separate incidents, a Somali woman, potentially named Ayesha, tragically drowned while boarding a boat in Dunkirk in August. Subsequently, two more women from Somalia lost their lives in similar circumstances the following month.
Noteworthy casualties also include Kuwaiti Jabr Al Ftah, 64, who suffered a fatal heart attack aboard a UK-bound small boat in March. Abdul Raheem Qasem, 24, from Yemen, was discovered deceased on the beach of Salines in Sangatte in January after attempting the crossing. Suleiman Alhussein Abu Aeday, a Syrian refugee in his early twenties, was the first recorded fatality of the year, succumbing just 11 days prior.
Calais Migrant Solidarity reported the burial of an unnamed Eritrean woman, believed to be in her thirties, in a Calais cemetery in April before her family could be located. Tragically, she perished while endeavoring to reach the UK via a small boat.
According to the Missing Migrants Project, a total of 36 individuals lost their lives in the attempt to reach the UK in 2025. The victims included 20 men, six women, and one child, while the demographics of the others remain