Desperation to flee France for Britain led at least 31 migrants to their deaths Wednesday in a terrible tragedy along the Channel that separates the two nations. A fisherman told Reuters they called rescue services after spotting a floating dinghy—a small boat—with bodies floating near it. Multiple other fishermen said more people were trying to cross the Channel than usual, though its traditionally unpredictable waves were paired with frigid temperatures in the water. “Strong emotion in the face of the tragedy of numerous deaths due to the capsizing of a migrant boat in the English Channel,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote in a tweet before heading to the coast.