Channel migrant death toll hits 60 this year after bodies of two people found floating at sea

SIXTY-TWO small-boat migrants person died trying to transverse the Channel truthful acold successful 2024, figures show.

Up to 20 much are inactive missing, according to French media, successful the deadliest twelvemonth connected record.

People smugglers driven by nett are cramming much radical into boats of progressively mediocre quality, officials person said.

PM Sir Keir Starmer volition contiguous call for a ­concerted effort to smash their “criminal empire”.

In Budapest, helium volition archer a gathering of the European Political Community that “we request to go further and faster” and “take the fight” to them.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Our enactment with our partners successful the Western Balkans is perfectly cardinal to dismantling the transgression networks that orchestrate the exploitation of susceptible radical for fiscal gain.

“Working much intimately with Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo, we volition stock accusation and intelligence, and enactment crossed borders to representation retired what is happening and where, to interruption the concern models of these unscrupulous gangs astatine source.

“Through our intensified work, criminals volition soon realise they person obscurity to hide.”

New Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the Government for the fig of deaths successful the Channel since Labour came to power

So acold this year, 31,270 radical person crossed the Channel successful 598 boats, Home Office figures show.