Two migrants bound for the UK have died while attempting to secure places on overcrowded, large inflatable boats.

French prosecutors have launched criminal investigations into the two deaths on beaches along the English Channel.

A confrontation broke out at Camiers, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, yesterday morning after a migrant boat encountered difficulties offshore.

About 30 people had managed to board when a man was found in the water after suffering a suspected heart attack.

Medics attempted to revive the unidentified man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Several miles to the north, the body of a person described as being “in their 30s, of African appearance” was found on the beach at Neufchâtel-Hardelot.

The worsening Channel crisis saw 781 migrants reach the UK on Wednesday, the highest daily figure recorded this year. That brought the total since the 2024 general election to 83,279—more than the British Army’s 83,000 soldiers, according to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.

“Labour has let an entire army-sized population cross the Channel illegally,” the Conservative frontbencher said. “Labour has lost control of our borders and seems utterly incapable of getting it back.”

Pressure on the Government has intensified after two dinghies reached British shores this week without being intercepted by Border Force.

Cabinet minister Lucy Powell acknowledged that the Government “can’t stop everything all of the time” while facing questions about a chaotic week.

Wednesday’s figure surpassed the previous yearly high of 752, recorded on July 29. It also meant that 1,085 migrants had arrived in Britain during the first three days of this week. Further arrivals were reported yesterday, although official numbers have not yet been released.

Cécile Gressier, the Boulogne prosecutor, confirmed that investigations into both deaths were under way. People smugglers or other migrants could potentially face manslaughter charges.

The latest fatalities bring to at least 21 the number of people who have died in the Channel this year while attempting to reach Britain, including women and children.

The deaths came a day after disturbing footage appeared to show a man leaving a child behind as he tried to board a dinghy in France.

The chaotic video, filmed from a beach, shows the man holding a toddler as he tries to climb onto the small boat.

Standing in chest-deep water amid strong waves, he then releases the child, who remains floating face-up in the sea for several seconds.

Members of the French lifeboat organisation SNSM swim towards the child and pull them from the water.

The youngster, who appears to be around three or four years old, is carried back to shore on a rescue board while the man continues trying to board the dinghy.

It remains unclear whether the man and child are related. The child was wearing a black hooded anorak and an orange life jacket.

The video clip was filmed off Berck beach, about 30 miles south of Boulogne, on Monday afternoon.

Many migrants have drowned, while others have been crushed to death in overcrowded boats.

The worst tragedy of this kind came in November 2021, when 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank while heading to the UK – the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.

Multiple attempts at crossings have taken place from the coast of northern France over the last few days, as the smugglers take advantage of calm seas and good weather.

According to figures from the UK Home Office, 781 migrants arrived in Britain on Wednesday – the highest single-day total recorded so far this year.

In total, 18,565 migrants have reached England via this route since January, a figure down by more than 40 per cent compared to the same period in 2025.

The surge in crossings also indicates that people-trafficking gangs are still getting hold of dinghies and outboard motors with ease, despite a crackdown on supply routes.

The figures will be embarrassing for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who claimed on September 2: ‘We are boosting officer numbers to record highs to crack down on small-boat launches and the gangs behind them. This work is bearing fruit.’

This week’s two ‘uncontrolled landings’ included a dinghy with up to 30 migrants which reached a Kent beach on Tuesday before police arrived. 

Officials confirmed 21 people were detained and taken to a Home Office facility, where they will be processed ahead of lodging asylum claims.

Ms Mahmood has ordered an urgent review of how the boats made it across the Channel unchallenged.

Education Secretary Ms Powell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘[You] can’t stop everything all of the time. Of course it’s a concern.

‘That’s why the Home Secretary has demanded and ordered this urgent review, because this is not what we want to see. This is not acceptable.’

A Border Force union – the ISU – warned that migrant boats were ‘definitely’ arriving undetected along the full length of the UK’s south coast.

The union’s Lucy Moreton said: ‘It’s absolutely, definitely happening. If no one sees them, no one sees them.

‘But we know that we’ve had abandoned vessels, we’ve had reports of uncontrolled landings all the way down to Falmouth.’

Ms Moreton accused the Home Office of taking a position of: ‘If we don’t look for it, we don’t know it’s happening. We don’t know it’s happening, we don’t have to deal with it.’

A former senior Home Office civil servant said the whole of the south coast should be monitored for migrant crossings, not just the narrowest section of the Channel near Dover.

Ex-Border Force director general Tony Smith said: ‘We’ve got technology – radar and drones and surveillance – but clearly, it didn’t work on this particular occasion.’

Asked why migrants would choose to arrive on a beach rather than be rescued and processed, he said they may have wanted to ‘evade capture’ and avoid biometric checks which could flag a criminal record or that they had previously arrived illegally.

A Government spokesman said: ‘Our progress this year in tackling small boats is indisputable – with crossings down by 42 per cent and the lowest recorded over the summer months since 2020.

‘But this week’s events show that while the peaks we are seeing are far below those of previous years, we need to push further and harder in order to eradicate this vile trade.’

The remains of a Texas college student who vanished while driving home for Christmas break have been discovered nearly six years after his disappearance.

A local resident found the human remains on September 8 east of Salt Flat Road in Caldwell County. DNA testing confirmed they belonged to Jason Landry, 21, the Texas Attorney General’s Office Cold Case Unit announced Wednesday.

Landry was expected to drive 165 miles from Texas State University to his hometown of Missouri City, outside Houston, in the early hours of December 13, 2020, but he disappeared during the journey.

His vehicle was seen at 12.30am on an isolated road near Luling, approximately 30 minutes from the university campus.

Investigators determined that the car had been involved in a single-vehicle crash as temperatures fell to about 36 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2 degrees Celsius.

“The car got off the road and spun around, and the back driver-side trunk, bumper and the side of the car took most of the impact,” Sergeant Deon Cockrell, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at the time.

Landry’s wallet and cellphone were recovered from the car and nearby area. Investigators also found a small amount of blood, but there was no sign of the missing student.

Search dogs followed his scent from the vehicle to a nearby pond. However, after the pond was drained, authorities found no trace of the 21-year-old.

For nearly six years, Landry’s whereabouts remained unknown as his parents endured the uncertainty surrounding what had happened to their son.

During that time, the Attorney General’s Office Cold Case Unit said it “conducted repeated ground and aerial searches, reviewed new leads and continually re-examined the case” in partnership with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Search and Rescue.

Civilian volunteers also “devoted substantial time, effort and personal resources to the search for Jason,” the unit said.

Investigators ultimately determined that Landry had packed his Nissan Altima for the trip, bringing a backpack with his laptop, gaming equipment, a Ziploc bag of toiletries, a small amount of marijuana and his pet fish, Sparky. The fish was being carried in a tumbler used as a makeshift pet carrier. Landry had also entered his route into the Waze navigation app on his phone.

Data showed that Jason’s car entered Luling, an oil and ranching community, at 11.24pm—about 30 minutes after he began the journey.

He then stopped using Waze and, instead of turning right to remain on the route home, continued straight onto Salt Flat Road.

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Just 67 minutes later, the Nissan Altima was found crashed into a tree. The keys were still in the ignition, while Landry’s phone remained inside the vehicle.

A few feet away, his clothes, underwear, shoes and wristwatch had been neatly arranged on the gravel, suggesting that he had carefully undressed beside the road before vanishing into the freezing night.

Family members have since suggested a malfunctioning traffic app caused a rerouting of his navigational system, leading him to veer far off track.  

‘I don’t know why my son was down this road my best guess, he will follow Waze wherever it sends him, he was coming home from college, but he was here on this road I don’t know if he was trying to avoid a deer or what, swerved and hit some trees on the side,’ Landry’s father, Kent, said.

His car left the gravel road and ended up in a ditch alongside a fence. Some of his clothes were also found outside of the vehicle.

‘We know he got out of the crash OK, and was walking back, this way, and that’s the last we know for sure,’ said Kent, a pastor, to Fox 7. 

His remains were ultimately found just about five miles south of the crash site. 

Yet questions still remain, as the skeletal remains do not provide any additional insight into the cause or manner of death – though investigators have said they found no indication of foul play.

Still, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton touted the discovery of Landry’s body as ‘a critical moment in a case that has weighed heavily on our hearts for nearly six years.

‘The Landry family has suffered an unimaginable tragedy and they will remain in our prayers, especially during this incredibly difficult time,’ said Paxton, who is in the midst of a close Senate race. 

Meanwhile, in a statement posted to the ‘Missing Person – Jason Landry’ Facebook account, his family said they received the news of his untimely demise on Wednesday.

‘While we grieve his passing, we are so thankful to all of you who have prayed for our family during these difficult years of waiting. We are also so grateful for the members of law enforcement, volunteer search team members and the many individuals that have lifted up our family and the memory of Jason,’ the family said.

‘But most of all, we are so blessed to know that Jason is home with the Lord. We can’t wait to see him again in heaven,’ they continued, concluding with a Bible verse: ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).’ 

Finland and Sweden carried out their first joint operation to intercept a Russian military aircraft over the Gulf of Finland, marking a new step in Nordic airspace cooperation.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Thursday’s mission demonstrated how the countries’ Quick Reaction Alert partnership can detect, track and protect their shared airspace.

“It is a concrete expression of the readiness and trust we have built together – and an expression of the strength in the Nordic, Nordic-Baltic, and broader Nato cooperation in our part of the world,” Kristersson wrote in a post on X today.

He added: “The Baltic Sea has never been as vulnerable as it is now – but it has also never been better protected than it is right now.”

According to the Finnish Air Force, aircraft from both nations located and identified a Russian formation that included a transport aircraft alongside several fighter jets.

The Gulf of Finland forms part of the wider Baltic Sea region, where vigilance has increased after gas pipeline disruptions, airspace incursions and repeated drone sightings since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Across Europe, concern is also mounting over the possibility that Vladimir Putin could be considering military action against other European nations.

Both Finland and Sweden abandoned decades of military non-alignment and applied to join Nato after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Norway, Iceland and Denmark were already members of Nato, along with the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The joint interception came as Denmark’s Defence Intelligence Service, known as the DDIS, warned on Thursday that the threat of Russian military action against Nato members was increasing. It described a full-scale invasion as “highly unlikely”, although still possible.

European governments remain on alert for potential Russian interference, amid fears that Moscow could turn its attention toward countries supporting Kyiv as the war in Ukraine continues into its fifth year.

Thomas Ahrenkiel, head of the DDIS, said the agency saw a “low but growing risk that Russia will launch a limited military attack against one or several Nato countries bordering Russia”. He was speaking at a news conference presenting an updated assessment of the Russian threat.

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However, he said the intelligence service continued to judge it “highly unlikely that Russia would see any interest in invading a Nato country, but we cannot rule it out”.

The latest assessment also warned that Russia was likely to expand its use of so-called hybrid attacks against Western targets.

The DDIS said previous operations had largely focused on spreading fear and eroding public backing for military and other assistance to Ukraine.

More recently, however, such activity has increasingly been designed to disrupt the flow of aid itself, including alleged sabotage targeting defence manufacturers and rail shipments carrying military equipment.

The agency said it expected Russia to step up these operations, potentially including “destructive cyber attacks that cripple critical societal functions”.

The agency also said there was a low risk of a limited military attack even if the war in Ukraine continued, as an attempt to redirect European resources away from Ukraine.

‘A limited military attack would be a desperate move on Russia’s part and, like the intensified hybrid attacks, could potentially take place in the coming months,’ the agency said.

However, the DDIS also noted that ‘a build-up of forces would require several months of preparation and will be difficult to conceal’.

Mr Ahrenkiel also stressed that although ‘Russia’s increased willingness to take risks has consequences for the security situation in Denmark’, notably through hybrid attacks, this does not mean that Russia is going to attack the Scandinavian country.

‘We do not expect a conventional Russian military attack against Denmark,’ he said.

Denmark’s national intelligence and security service PET meanwhile said in a statement that Russia’s increased willingness to take risks ‘may lead to an increase in both Russian influence activity and the espionage and sabotage threat in Denmark’.

PET had previously indicated that sabotage threats primarily target the defence industry and others directly linked to the military support of Ukraine.

King Charles is said to have developed a warmer relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but the rift between Harry and his brother, Prince William, is unlikely to be repaired, according to royal commentator Omid Scobie.

Scobie, the journalist once described as a “cheerleader” for the Sussexes, said relations between Harry and his father had improved, with the previous “iciness” beginning to fade.

However, Scobie—who has long been regarded as close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex—said he did not expect the same progress in Harry’s relationship with the Prince of Wales.

His comments came in a new Disney+ documentary examining Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain. The programme also considered whether Catherine, Princess of Wales, could play a role in repairing the brothers’ fractured relationship.

In an exclusive clip from Harry & Meghan: The Return of the Prince, Scobie said: “I think we’ve seen with Charles that things have moved forward and the iciness has thawed out. There’s a warmth there. With William, I don’t see it ever changing.”

He added: “There’s always this talk of Kate potentially being the peacekeeper, the person who could bring the two brothers together. But if I’ve learned anything from covering them over the years, it’s that Kate has very little to do with the relationship between the brothers.”

The documentary, part of the Impact x Nightline series, also featured Erin Hill, a senior editor at People magazine, which has maintained a close relationship with the Sussexes.

Hill said palace sources had told People that William and Kate had adopted a deliberately traditional approach to the situation behind the scenes.

She described their stance as “keep calm, carry on, do the job,” saying Harry and Meghan were not currently a priority for the couple, who were instead focused on the future.

The documentary brought together royal commentators, experts and journalists to assess the implications of Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK after six years living in the United States.

Contributors discussed the couple’s public break with the Royal Family and considered whether reconciliation might be possible as the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death approaches.

The programme also included royal commentators Robert Jobson, Victoria Murphy, Alastair Bruce, Elizabeth Holmes, Kinsey Schofield and Afua Hagan.

Farzana Baduel, co-host of BBC Radio 4’s When It Hits the Fan, appeared alongside Maggie Rulli, the ABC News journalist who interviewed Earl Spencer the previous week.

The Sussexes returned to Britain on August 26, marking a dramatic reversal after they stepped away from royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.

They left their roles as working royals for personal and financial reasons. Even so, speculation continues over why they unexpectedly moved away from California, where they had established a life outside the day-to-day structure of the monarchy.

Theories include a desire for their children to spend more time with their grandfather, the King; Meghan’s possible interest in returning to acting; and a broader ambition to raise the Sussexes’ public profile.

Kelly McKee Zajfen, a friend of Meghan, said this week that the Duchess of Sussex had received a “loving” welcome after returning to Britain, describing the response as “beautiful to witness.”

Before the return, Charles was reportedly pleased at the prospect of spending more time with the Sussex family. However, he remained firm that Harry and Meghan would not resume official royal duties, rejecting any compromise that would allow them to occupy a “half-in, half-out” position.

The move has not been plain sailing, with Harry and Meghan pulling their children Prince Archie and Lili out of their new school after just two days when heavy traffic in the area meant their private security team struggled to stay in a convoy during the school run. 

The youngsters have now transferred to a new school.

Tensions also grew between Team Sussex and the Royal Household when a letter, authorised by the King, was circulated to senior stakeholders in the Government reiterating the couple were ‘private citizens’ and setting out guidance on how they should be treated.

Harry and Meghan were said to have been caught off guard by the instructions, with the couple, who are waiting to hear whether they will be given taxpayer-funded security, reported to prefer the term ‘public figures’ instead.

Meanwhile the serialisation of a book about Diana written by Earl Spencer has made serious allegations against the King.

The earl accused the monarch of gaslighting him after Buckingham Palace pushed back against allegations that Charles said ‘we’ll forget her soon enough’ after Diana died.

This prompted a war of words between the earl and Buckingham Palace, which said in a responding statement that ‘the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason’.

Neither Harry nor his brother Prince William have commented on the book – serialised by the Daily Mail – although they were both told in advance that it was being released. 

Separately, it was reported on Monday that Harry is in talks to make a documentary about his mother to mark the 30th anniversary of her death.

The duke is understood to have asked a number of Diana’s friends and relatives if they would take part in a commemorative film ahead of the milestone in August next year – but the project has not been confirmed at this stage.

Harry was in New York City earlier this week carrying out a series of engagements – including a speech about AI at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting on Wednesday.

He also appeared at a National Geographic and De Beers Okavango Eternal event at the Jardin de Sur Madison; a Diana Award and Service Now discussion on the future of work, young people and AI at Goals House NYC.

Further events include an event for Harry’s sustainable travel initiative Travalyst; and a keynote speech at the Skift Global Travel Forum.

The trip to the US came after he carried out three engagements in the UK – his first since returning to Britain.

The duke attended the Invictus Spirit Awards in London last Thursday to honour members of the Invictus community at his first event since returning to the UK.

He went to Ninestiles Academy in Birmingham the following day to launch Inspire, a new education programme linked to the Invictus Games in the city next June.

Harry then returned to London on Monday for the WellChild Awards to celebrate the achievements and resilience of seriously ill youngsters and their families.

But Meghan has not joined him at any events so far – and the last public engagement they attended together was a David Foster Foundation gala in Canada on August 7.

‘Harry & Meghan: The Return of the Prince’ is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu