Migrant found on Calais beach 'almost certainly' died trying to reach UK, French prosecutor says

French authorities discover man wearing life jacket near commune outside Calais

A migrant found dead on a beach near Calais almost certainly died trying to cross the Channel to reach the UK, a French prosecutor has said.

He was discovered on a beach near Sangatte outside Calais at around 8am on Sunday.

Pascal Marconville, a prosecutor for the nearby town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, told local media the man was found wearing a life jacket and likely died trying to cross the Channel in a small boat, with initial examination of the body showing no evidence of third party involvement.

He said the migrant was thought to have drowned trying to make the crossing this weekend and his body had washed up on the shore just a few hours later.

Mr Marconville added officers would work with migrant communities based in Calais and Dunkirk to try to establish the victim’s identity and the circumstances around his death.

The man’s death comes at a time of heightened tension between French and British authorities over the number of migrant crossings taking place across the Channel.

On Saturday, 170 migrants crossed the Channel in just 12 small boats, according to Home Office figures, while a further 222 people were prevented from crossing by French authorities.

Making the journey from France to the UK is extremely dangerous, but charities say refugees fleeing war and persecution are being denied a safer route to claim asylum.

"Refugees take this risk because they are frightened, fleeing appalling horrors in some of the most dangerous places on earth,” said Clare Moseley, co-founder of the refugee charity Care4Calais.

“They do it because of the grim and unsanitary conditions in Calais, where they are constantly harassed and abused by the authorities.

“They do it because there is no safe and legal way to have their UK asylum claim heard.”

In August, Abdulfatah Hamdallah, a 28-year-old Sudanese national, drowned trying to make the crossing to the UK in a 3ft dinghy.

Chris Philp, minister for immigration compliance and the courts, said on Saturday that the UK government was taking action to make the route across the Channel “unviable”.

“We are working closely with the French who today have stopped 222 people from making this dangerous crossing, seizing boats and equipment and intercepting people inland,” he said.

Additional reporting by PA