Four arrested in France after deaths of six men in Channel crossing
Four people have been arrested in France after the deaths of six men whose boat capsized while crossing the Channel.
French judges are considering charges including involuntary manslaughter against the Iraqi and Sudanese suspects, according to reports.
At least two of those detained are suspected to have links to human trafficking networks.
Last Saturday the six men died after their vessel got into difficulty near Calais. More than 50 other people were rescued by French and British coastguards.
The confirmed dead were all Afghan men and were among 65 or 66 male passengers on the craft, most of whom were from Afghanistan.
According to French media, several of those rescued reported that the inflatable capsized after passengers tried to refuel the motor that had stopped out at sea. Many of those onboard had no life vests.
The investigation into the incident has been transferred from the local prosecutors’ office to the national jurisdiction for the fight against organised crime (Junalco) in Paris, which is considering charges of manslaughter, unintentional injury, aiding illegal persons and criminal conspiracy.
Saturday’s death toll was the highest since November 2021, when 27 people drowned in the Channel.
On Monday, French coastguards mobilised six patrol boats in the Channel and a helicopter in anticipation of further attempts by people to cross as weather and sea conditions improve.
Karim was one of about 10 people who was turned away from boarding the vessel on Saturday due to overcrowding despite paying people smugglers €2,000 (£1,700) for a place.
He told the BBC the smugglers promised him a “good boat” – something at least 10 metres (32ft) long – but what they were given was only three metres long.
Two of his friends were allowed on board and Karim believes they were among those who died.
Another man, Idris, 22, managed to survive the journey and is back in France.
“There were far too many passengers,” he told Reuters.
“The waves were very strong, and the boat split up.
“Half the passengers fell into the water and were swallowed up by the sea. Those who were left in the boat tried to stay alive with the help of their lifebuoys.”
More than 17,000 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel, according to figures released on Thursday.