Four arrested after six Afghan migrants died when their boat sank in the Channel

17 August 2023, 16:04

Four people have been arrested in France after six migrants died when their boat capsized while they were trying to cross the English Channel.

Two Iraqis in their early 40s and two Sudanese people in their late 20s have been detained.

The six Afghan men died when their boat sank off the French coast in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Some 61 were rescued by British and French authorities. Investigators have launched a probe into suspected involuntary homicide and criminal conspiracy for illegal immigration.

The Iraqis are believed to be human traffickers, a spokesperson for the Paris prosecutor's office said.

More than 60 people boarded the boat, which set off from the coastal town of Sangatte.

A spokesperson said: "Their situation had been signalled by a boat passing near and rescue resources were immediately triggered.

"Several boats in the area, warned, took a detour to get to the site. They were joined by an Abeille (surveillance aircraft from the national navy), a canoe from the National Society of Sea Safety, two British aid boats and a helicopter to help localise the victims."

"All repatriated people on the French side have been heard (interviewed). Nearly all are of Afghan nationality and passed through a camp in the 'Jungle' at Calais before departing from a beach further away from the town."

It comes after Rishi Sunak made repeated promises to "stop the boats" and crack down on the people smuggling gangs that operate them.

But more than 100,000 people have now made the journey since 2019.

The boat in question had been one of several migrant vessels that had set off between Friday night and Saturday morning aiming to reach the British coast, according to the French authorities.

It comes after some 444 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in eight boats on Wednesday, new figures show.

This takes the provisional total for 2023 to date to 17,234, according to PA news agency analysis of Home Office data.

The tragedy has put the government under more pressure to find a way to halt these dangerous attempts at crossing the Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which is also full of treacherous currents.

The government's plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda are on hold as it houses migrants in barges and ex-military sites.

The controversial Illegal Migration Act will ban people from claiming UK asylum if they arrive in unauthorised way, which ministers believe will stop the crossings.

But the Supreme Court is yet to decide on whether the Rwanda plan is lawful.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman chaired a meeting with the Border Force after the tragedy.

In a statement, she said: "My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic loss of life in the Channel today.

"I have spoken with our Border Force teams this morning who have been supporting the French authorities in response to this incident."

French sea minister Hervé Berville said: "While we mourn these victims ... it is the responsibility of human traffickers - of criminals - who send young people, women, adults, to their death on these maritime routes that are dangerous and lethal."

French authorities have begun a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Philippe Sabatier, the Boulogne prosecutor, said: "Six Afghan males died, and the vast majority of those involved were also from Afghanistan. They included minors."

A patrol boat told authorities that a migrant boat was sinking off the French town of Sangatte at around 4am on Saturday, France's Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said.

Local mayor Franck Dhersin said dozens of boats were trying to make the crossing at the same time.

"Several of the boats were facing serious difficulties," he told Reuters. "Near Sangatte they unfortunately found dead bodies."

A volunteer said that migrants were trying to bail water out of the sinking boat using their shoes.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution said a Dover-based volunteer lifeboat crew launched just before 4am to respond to the incident.