Three arrested over Channel deaths

Three men have been arrested in connection with a Channel boat crossing that led to the deaths of five people, including a young girl.

The trio have been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and entering the UK illegally. The suspects, two Sudanese men aged 22 and 19 and a third 22-year-old from South Sudan, are being questioned by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in Kent, the agency said.

The arrests came as Guirec Le Bras, the public prosecutor in Boulogne-sur-Mer, confirmed the age of the dead child as six and a half and raised the possibility the child had been trampled to death.

He said: “It appears from the initial investigation, and interviews with people who were rescued, that the boat involved must have transported 40 to 50 migrants who had paid for their passage.

“At the time of departure, between 40 and 50 migrants reportedly came out of the dunes and forced themselves onto the boat, crushing many people already on board.

“At the same time, some continued to push the boat out to sea, which resulted in more than 100 migrants on the boat, far from the shore.

“The testimonies of the people brought back to the dock [on Tuesday] do not suggest drowning or that the boat capsized at any time”.

Fifty-five people have been interviewed. More than 110 people were said to have been on board the vessel.