Two charged after deaths of five migrants, including girl, 7, in English Channel

26 April 2024, 08:45 | Updated: 26 April 2024, 23:09

Two men have been charged after five migrants died while attempting to cross the English Channel.

Yien Both, a 22-year-old from South Sudan, was charged with assisting unlawful immigration and attempting to arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance.

Tajdeen Abdulaziz Juma, a 22-year-old Sudanese national, was charged with attempting to arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance.

Both men have been remanded in custody and are expected to appear before Folkestone Magistrates' Court later on Friday.

A third man, an 18-year-old from Sudan, has been bailed pending further inquiries.

It comes after three men, a woman and a girl died in the incident, according to the French coastguard.

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The National Crime Agency is working with Kent Police, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force to support the investigation into the incident on the beach near Wimereux in northern France.

A dinghy carrying more than 100 people set off from Wimereux at around 6am on Tuesday but got into difficulty.

Some 49 people were rescued but 58 others refused to leave the boat and continued their journey towards the UK.

Craig Turner, deputy director of investigations for the National Crime Agency, previously said: "This tragic incident once again demonstrates the threat to life posed by these crossings and brings into focus why it is so important to target the criminal gangs involved in organising them.

"We will do all we can with partners in the UK and France to secure evidence, identify those responsible for this event, and bring them to justice."