Horror as woman trampled to death on small boat with 74 migrants onboard

A 36-year-old woman was trampled to death at the bottom of a migrant dinghy in the English Channel, a maritime investigation has found. The woman, named as Manpreet Kaur, an Indian national, was among 74 migrants attempting to cross the Channel from France on September 9, 2025.

The 7.8-metre inflatable dinghy was in a perilous condition, with water flooding the vessel and petrol leaking into the bottom. A Border Force vessel, BF Volunteer, arrived at 10.57am and passed a rescue line to bring the dinghy alongside so those aboard could be evacuated. But as the migrants rushed towards one side of the boat to reach safety, the already fragile vessel began to collapse, throwing several people into the water.

In the ensuing chaos, Ms Kaur was trampled and pushed to the bottom of the dinghy, where she remained submerged for a prolonged period before being discovered.

The Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found the boat was “wholly unsuitable for the voyage”, citing its poor construction, overcrowding and unsafe fuel and engine arrangements.

The investigation found the dinghy had taken on so much water that it was more than knee-deep in places. Migrants had been forced to bail out the water using plastic bottles, while the engine needed refuelling at least four times, causing petrol to spill into the vessel.

Some occupants, including Ms Kaur, suffered chemical burns from the mixture of seawater and petrol. Investigators believe she would also have been weakened by exposure to petrol fumes.

The report found that cold, dehydration and exhaustion had left some passengers weak, while physical and verbal fights broke out as conditions deteriorated.

Border Force had rescued everyone except Ms Kaur by 11.21am. The crew waited for the RNLI to arrive, and she was recovered at around 11.37am.

Investigators concluded she was “not identified promptly because the crew were managing a mass rescue from a rapidly deteriorating boat”.

They found Border Force personnel had not been trained to recover an unconscious person from a collapsing small boat, preventing assistance within a crucial 10-minute window after she first got into difficulty.

The MAIB recommended that Border Security Command review its training and procedures to improve the identification and recovery of casualties during similar emergencies.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the dinghy was “wholly unsuitable for crossing the English Channel”, with poor construction, overcrowding and its deteriorated condition leaving it vulnerable to flooding and collapse.

Its report said: “A sudden shift in the occupants on board the migrant boat caused one side to collapse, resulting in significant flooding and panic.”

It added that the woman was “trampled into the bottom of the boat, causing her to drown”.

The investigation found she was not identified promptly because Border Force personnel were dealing with a mass rescue from a rapidly deteriorating vessel. Her position in the flooded boat, partial submersion and lack of visibility made her difficult to spot.

The MAIB said the crew could not safely recover an unresponsive casualty from the collapsed dinghy using the training, procedures and equipment available to them.

It recommended a review of Border Force training and operational procedures, alongside new equipment and guidance to help crews recover unconscious casualties from collapsed inflatable boats.

The report warned that delays in rescuing people in distress risk further loss of life.

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