Channel migrant found dead on French beach after failed small boat crossing

A man has died following an attempted small boat crossing across the English channel.

The French coastguard said authorities found the body of the man on Sainte-Cecile beach, near the coastal town of Le Touquet.

A rescue team from France's Regional Operational Center for Surveillance (CROSS) had been deployed overnight to monitor the boarding migrants onto a "makeshift vessel" at the beach, it said.

The body is believed to be of a man in his 20s.

The coastguard has described the boarding process of the makeshift vessel as "chaotic".

Five men who had involved in the onboarding were attended to by firefighters at the scene for symptoms of hypothermia.

The vessel was stopped from departing by French authorities, and that no one was found in the water following a "thorough sweep".

A small craft was also deployed alongside French "land-based units" from the fire and rescue service.

The coastguard said: "Following the operation, at approximately 08:00 (09:00 GMT) the body of a man in his twenties was discovered on the beach.

"An investigation will be opened to "determine the circumstances surrounding the incident."

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