A YOUNG Syrian man has become the first person to die while trying to cross the Channel to Britain this year.

He is believed to have crushed to death by other people after their leaky dinghy got into difficulty overnight on Friday.

The French coastguard found his body on the floor of the boat after a helicopter and boats were deployed to rescue the 35 people.

About 15 were in the water on the coldest night of the year so far.

Officials said that the Syrian man was in his 20s and had suffered cardiac arrest. He had “probably” been crushed to death.

The migrants were taken onto a rescue boat and returned to Boulogne-sur-Mer, a fishing port, with one teenager taken to hospital in a stable condition, the French coastguard added.

At least 77 migrants died trying to reach Britain in flimsy inflatable boats last year, making it the deadliest so far, according to French authorities.

Today Natasha Tsangarides, Freedom from Torture associate director of advocacy, said: “We are devastated to hear of the death of a young man in the Channel this weekend.

“We need to remember that those desperately trying to cross one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes are men, women and children who’ve fled torture and war, and they deserve to live.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy claimed last week that new diplomatic tools and unique financial sanctions targeting people smugglers will “prevent, combat, deter and disrupt irregular migration” as part of government’s vow to “smash the gangs.”

But Ms Tsangarides added: “Too much time has been wasted on gimmicks and hateful politics, while war and torture continue to push people to take dangerous routes to sanctuary. This isn’t a security problem but a humanitarian one. 

“To stem the movement of desperate refugees, the government needs to continue to focus on conflict resolution and humanitarian aid. But this will take time.

“And in the absence of safe routes people like the survivors of torture we support will be forced to continue to risk their lives.

“Now we urgently need to see authorities on both sides of the Channel focusing on saving lives and ensuring access to protection on their own territory.” 

A government spokesman said: “This latest tragedy underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings, and we continue to do everything we can to prevent them.”